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THE LIVING WAY; 



Suggestions mft Counsels 



CONCERNING 



SOME OF THE PRIVILEGES AND DUTIES 



OF THE 



CHRISTIAN" LIFE. 



REV. JOHN ATKINSON. 



NEW YOKK: 

FOR SALE BY 

CARLTON & PORTER, 200 MULBERRY ST. 
1856. . . r 







Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1856, by 

REV. JOHN ATKINSON, 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States 
for the Southern District of New York. 



MILLER <fc HOLJIAN, 

Printers and Stereotypers, N. Y. 



TO 
MY ESTEEMED FBIEND, 

EDMUND J. YARD 

OF PHILADELPHIA, 

AND TO CHRISTIANS OP EVERY SECT, 

THIS WORK IS 

JOHN ATKINSON, 



PREFACE. 



The Author has aimed, in writing this book, to 
give utterance to plain, comforting, stirring, saving, 
gospel truths. His object, in now presenting what he 
has written to the Christian public, is to contribute, in 
some degree, if he may by the Divine blessing, to the 
' promotion of the cause of Christian piety among men. 
True, there is nothing contained in these pages but 
what might be learned under the ordinary ministra- 
tions of the pulpit. Still, there may be truths presented 
here which may arrest the attention, and reach the 
conscience and heart of some one in an hour of solitude 
and thoughtfulness, and thus acomplish good, when 
the voice of the preacher cannot be heard. Again, the 
Author believes that this work contains such sugges- 
tions, consolations, and counsels, as a faithful pastor 
or class-leader would frequently be glad to whisper 
into the ear of some one of his flock when circum- 
stances are such as that he cannot be present with 
them. If, by reading this book, any souls shall be 
spiritually benefited, the Author's desire and prayer 
will be granted. J. A. 

Stanhope Oct., 1856. 



CONTEN TS. 



CHAPTER I. 

CHRIST'S PROMISE. 

Eastern Deserts — Pilgrims — The Christian Pilgrim— Needs 
to be accompanied by a true Friend — He has such a 
Friend — Precious Words — Query answered — The little 
Boy — The Illustration applied — Necessity of constantly 
exercising Faith — An important Truth — Reader address- 
ed 1 

CHAPTER II. 

TRIAL. 

Life a state of Discipline — Design of Trials — Christians pos- 
sess Joy in the midst of their Sorrows — Christ's Words — 
Trials specified : Temptation — How Satan tempts Chris- 
tians — His Limit — No need of being Overcome — Strength 
given with the Temptation — Hard Providences — Bereave- 
ment — Loss of Health — Our own Trials not peculiar — 
Father and Child— Why God afflicts his Children— How 
Afflictions should be borne — An aged Christian — Re- 
verses of Fortune — A Problem — The Solution — A Spanish 
Artist 10 

CHAPTER III. 

ON TRUSTING IN GOD. 
Man must Trust in Something— Trusting in the World— 
The Rich Fool— What it is to trust in God — Divine 



V1U CONTENTS. 

Guidance — The Traveler — Need of Guidance— The Chris- 
tian's Guide — The Believer and Unbeliever — Danger of 
the latter — Difficulties and Troubles — St. Paul an Example 
to the Christian — The Israelites and the Egyptians — 
Joseph — Hebrew Children — Daniel — The lost Child . 34 

CHAPTER IV. 

ENCOURAGEMENT TO ASK HOLINESS. 

About Asking for Temporal Things — Limits — No restric- 
tions to Petitions for Spiritual Blessings — Paul and his 
Ephesian Brethren — Extract — No Danger of asking too 
much — A Question — What it suggests — Inconsistent Pro- 
fessors — Counsel to such — Petitions should be definite — 
Prayer should be a matter of Thoughtfnlness — Holiness 
— The Subject should be clearly understood — Scriptural 
Holiness defined — Advancement in Holiness — Motives to 
Holiness — Happiness — Extracts from Tupper — The Glory 
of God requires it — Carvosso and others — Need of deep 
Piety among Christians — Greatness of the work yet to be 
accomplished by the Church— Certainty of Success— Great 
Prize — Christians addressed 43 

CHAPTER V. 

THE TEST OF LOVE. 

Russian Nobleman — Love must manifest itself — Extract 
from Watson — Scripture Tests — Conscientiousness — Re- 
conciled parties — Carefulness to please God — Evil 
Thoughts — Importance of guarding the Heart — Extract — 
Benevolence— A Benevolent Religion — Great Change — 
Paul — A self-sacrificing Spirit — Activity necessary to Dis- 
cipleship — All Christians may do something — Covetous- 
ness — A Young Lady and her Needle — Scenes of Suffering 
— Unsympathizing Professors — Quotation : Amos Law- 
rence — Reader addressed — Love to the Brethren — A new 
Commandment — Congeniality — Unity — The Body and its 
Members— Christ and the Church— A happy Family Scene 



CONTENTS. IX 

— Domestic Misery — Cause of Difference in the two Cases 
— The Fortress — Necessity of concentrating Strength — 
Bigotry — Lord Byron — William Jay — Quotation from Dr. 
Alexander. ♦ 75 

CHAPTER VI. 

RELIGIOUS CULTURE. 

Religion requires Culture — The Husbandman — Effort re- 
quired — The Field — Whom does it represent— The Reader 
addressed — Private Prayer — How it should be performed 
— Careless Professors — How God deals with them — What 
they are to expect — Another class of Professors — Admoni- 
tion — Seasons for Prayer — David — Daniel — Objection 
stated and answered — Summerfield — The State of Mind 
necessary in order to pray aright — Reluctance to pray — 
Caution — What such Dispositions indicate — The way to 
drive away Coldness — Reflections — Reading the Bible — 
Its Importance and Value — Furnishes Weapons — Safe 
Guide — Source of Consolation — Young Lady — Meditation 
— Employment of the Mind — Quotation — Extract— Reader 
addressed — Self-denial — What it is — Ancient Games — 
Extract — Counsels — Warning. . . . .115 



*f 



THE LIVING WAY. 



CHAPTEE I. 

CHRIST' S PKO MISE. 
<; Lo, I am with you alway." 

In eastern countries there are extensive sandy 
deserts. These deserts are destitute of all that 
is attractive, and are dreary and desolate. Per- 
sons, however, frequently traverse them, in order 
to obtain the wealth and luxuries which are ta 
be found beyond them. The journeys of these 
desert pilgrims are necessarily long, and their 
privations are great ; but, having worldly gain in 
view, they patiently perform the one, and endure 
the other. For a person to travel through these 
deserts alone, would, however, be almost out of 
the question, and, were it possible, the journey 
would be exceedingly lonely and the difficulties 
and dangers would be numerous and great ; so, 

travelers unite themselves into companies called 
1 



2 THE LIVING WAY. 

caravans, and, thus accompanied and assisted by 
each other, they perform tedious and difficult pil- 
grimages. In some respects, these eastern travelers 
resemble the Christian pilgrim in the way of 
life ; both travel through a desolate region ; they 
each have a better place in view, and they both 
need company in order that they may be pro- 
tected in time of danger, and that the tediousness 
of their journey may be beguiled by pleasant 
companionship. Is not the Christian traveling 
through a desolate land? And has he not a 
better world in view ? And does he not need a 
friend to accompany him, to defend him from the 
dangers, and to cheer and comfort him amid the 
toils and privations, of his pilgrimage ? Such is, 
most assuredly, the case ; for, since the world 
was cursed by sin, it has been no longer a para- 
dise, but a desert It is divested, of its charms 
of primeval innocence and beauty, and is clothed 
in the drapery of mourning and sorrow. To the 
worldling who partakes of its spirit, it offers 
many bright attractions ; but, to him whose trea- 
sure and heart are in heaven, it is a region of 
darkness and woe, compared with that bright 



CHRIST S PROMISE. 3 

and happy world toward which his steps are 
tending. 

In the Christian pilgrimage there are many 
dangers to encounter, and many difficulties to 
overcome ; and, consequently, it is of the great- 
est importance that the Christian, while prosecut- 
ing his heavenward journey, should be accom- 
panied by a faithful and sympathizing friendy one 
able to defend him from the dangers, and to 
cheer him amid the difficulties, of the way. And 
such a friend he has — One mighty to save and 
strong to deliver, and who is pledged to ac- 
company him in his pilgrimage, and to never for- 
sake him until he reaches the better land. For, 
amid the darkness that settles upon his pathway, 
the words of his almighty Friend break upon the 
ear of his spirit : " Lo, I am with you alway" 
Does he shrink at the sight of danger? The 
voice of his ever-present Friend he hears, saying, 
" Fear not, for I am with thee." Do his spirits 
sink, in discouragement under the pressure of 
trial and sorrow? He hears the same voice ex- 
claiming, " Be not dismayed, for I am thy God." 
Does his strength seem to fail, and does he feel 



4 THE LIVING WAY. 

like despairing of being able to reach the end of 
his journey? The same blessed voice again falls 
upon his ear, saying, " / will strengthen thee, yea, 
I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righte- 
ousness" This friend is Jesus, the world's Ke- 
deemer, and the sympathizing High Priest of his 
people* His followers have always been protect- 
ed by his power and cheered by his presence ; 
and, though ha is not visible now to mortal sight, 
yet is he as really present with hk people to-day 
as he was with the primitive disciples when he 
tabernacled with them in the flesh. And here 
•some doubting one may be led to pause and ask, 
Is Jesus my friend ? And will he go with me, 
and will he strengthen and comfort me, who am 
so unworthy? Yes, fearful disciple, if thou dost 
believe in Jesus, he is thy friend. The pledge of 
the Saviour's presence is given, not merely to 
particularly favored persons, but to all who be- 
lieve in him, of whatever condition or name. It 
is, therefore, given to thee. Look to him, then, 
through all thy journey, for comfort and for 
strength. 

A little boy once accompanied an elder brother 



to a neighboring t9wn. They entered a mercan- 
tile establishment, and, while there, the little fel- 
low, in gazing around among the crowd of custom- 
ers, lost sight of his- brother. He did not 
know any one there, and, being miles from home, 
he feared he was lost, supposing his brother 
had left him. Fearfully he called the name of 
his brother, and, upon calling, he found his brother 
had not left him, as he had supposed, but was 
really present with him. And so, Christian, is it 
with you. You are not left alone and friendless 
in this world of strangers, for your Elder Bro- 
ther, which is Christ, is present with you. Pre- 
sent ! consoling thought. Who would fear, 
when attended by such a friend I And he is not 
only present now, but he is pledged to remain 
with you, so long as you cleave unto him, even 
unto the end. Eejoicing in a present conscious- 
ness of the Saviour's love, you need not look at 
the future with dismay. Dangers may threaten 
you, and difficulties rise appalling before your 
sight, yet give no place to fear; for, whatever 
evil may assail you, Christ will be present to sup- 
port and deliver you. The relation you sustain 
1* 



6 THE LIVING WAY. 

to the Saviour is a pledge of your safety, if you 
remain faithful to him. In the case of the little 
boy I have mentioned, there was no ground for 
fear on his part, for his brother was united to him 
by the strong tie of natural, fraternal affection, 
and would not, therefore, on any account, have 
forsaken him among strangers. And so, believer, 
is it with you. Jesus is united to you by a love 
far greater and more enduring than ever bound 
human kindred together, and this love, so deep 
and so unchanging, is a sure guarantee of his 
faithfulness to you. In order to secure your 
eternal safety, your Elder Brother died. For you 
he endured the agony of the garden and the 
ignominy and anguish of the cross, and having, by 
his loving spirit, wooed you from the ways of 
sin, he has clasped you to his heart with all the 
tenderness of his divine affection. And will he 
leave you, now? Oh, no ! He is faithful. His 
promises are sure and immutable, and, though 
heaven and earth should pass away, not one word, 
that he has promised you, shall ever fail. In 
Christ you have an unchanging friend, and, though 
all your earthly prospects should be blasted, and 



Christ's promise. 



every earthly friend forsake you, yet will he be 
faithful still. You are dear to him as the apple 
of his eye, his presence attends your every step, 
and, in tones of assurance, he whispers to your 
trembling heart the blessed pledge, " / will never 
leave thee nor forsake thee." But, remember, the 
Saviour's presence is promised you only upon the 
condition of your faithfulness to him. The boy 
lost sight of his brother ; but it w r as because he 
did not carefully keep his eye upon his brother. 
Had he done this, he would have been saved those 
fears which so distressed him. And so, Chris- 
tian, in order to retain Christ's presence with 
you, the eye of your faith must rest continually 
upon him. You cannot look away from the 
Saviour one moment with safety. In the exercise 
of a living faith only are you safe. This faith has 
direct reference to the atoning Lamb. He is its 
object. On his merits, the soul of the helpless 
sinner rests and is justified. So long as he con- 
tinues to rest there he is safe ; but if he let go his 
hold, he is immediately in imminent peril. Let him 
hold on, then, most tenaciously, to his faith, and, so 
long as he does this, no real harm can befall him. 



8 THE LIVING WAY, 

Christian reader, allow me, as I close this 
chapter, to remind you of an important truth, and 
that is, that the willful commission of any known 
sin, or the habitual neglect of any known duty, 
will inevitably destroy your faith, and sunder the 
relation that binds you to Christ. Sin is a hein- 
ous and dreadful thing. It is highly offensive to 
God. He cannot behold it with the least degree 
of allowance. None may sin with impunity. 
And, if a believer dare violate his covenant 
vows, and willfully sin against God, he forfeits, at 
once, the Divine favor, and all claim to the prom- 
ises given by Christ to his people. Would you 
enjoy deep and abiding communion with God ! 
Would you have the presence of the Saviour ever 
with you % Fear, then, to sin. Make it a sa- 
cred point never to offend your Lord. Eather 
suffer the loss of all things here, than relinquish 
your title to heaven, by willfully sinning against 
God. 

Fellow Christian, thou art traveling through 
earth's lonely wilds to the paradise of heaven. 
Difficulties and dangers lie in thy path, and sad 
and dreary will be many of the hours of thy pil- 



CHRIST S PROMISE. 9 

grimage ; but hold up thy head and rejoice, for 
thou hast nothing to fear. An almighty Friend is 
nigh thee. He will comfort thee in thy seasons 
of sadness, and strengthen thee in thy hours of 
toil. The light of his presence shall shine upon 
thy way, illuminating it with the radiance of 
glory, until thou shalt cease from thy toils and 
sufferings and enter into his rest. 



CHAPTEE II. 

TEIAL. 

" Think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which ia 
to try you." 

The present life is a period of probation. This 
probation is a scene of trial and discipline, pre- 
paratory to another and a ceaseless life. As the 
child is placed in school for the purpose of being 
prepared, by mental training and discipline, for 
the pursuits and duties of life, so has it been 
judged necessary, by Infinite Wisdom, that the 
child of grace and heir of glory should undergo 
a moral training in this world, with reference to 
his future being. It is in this light the Christian 
should view his present existence. In fact, the 
. true interest and import of it consist in this : the 
present life, if we may so speak, is the prepara- 
tory school in which God's children are placed, 



TRIAL. 1 1 

to be taught those lessons, by the Great Teacher, 
which it is important they should become familiar 
with, before they are introduced into a higher 
state of knowledge and enjoyment in the heav- 
enly world. 

As contributing largely to the Christian's moral 
discipline, his present trials are to be viewed. 
We have the assurance that all things work to- 
gether for good to them that love G-od ; and, as 
the hairs of our heads are numbered, w T e must be- 
lieve that the Lord exercises a special providence 
over his children, and controls all the events that 
befall them ; and, as he is mindful of the sorrows 
of his chosen, he will not, as their compassionate 
Father, cause them to endure any trial or suffer 
any affliction which is not needful they should 
bear. It was with this view that St. Paul regard- 
ed the trials and sufferings incident to the be- 
liever's present state, when he said, " These light 
afflictions, which are but for a moment, work out for 
us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of 
glory'' Here he shows the true design and uses 
of afflictions — they ivorh out for us a far more 
exceeding and an eternal weight of glory. That is, 



12 THE LIVING WAY. 

the Christian's glory in heaven will be propor- 
tionally increased by every affliction that casts 
its shadow on his heart, when it is received with 
meekness and faith, as coming from the hand of 
a loving, though chastening, Father. The tears 
that fall from the eyes of the tried saint of God 
in this world, will only add pearls of imperish- 
able brightness and beauty to the crown he shall 
wear in the realms of light, and the sighs which 
escape his suffering spirit here, are to be one day 
exchanged for songs of triumph and everlasting 
joy, which he shall sing in the kingdom of God. 
Why, then, should the Christian shrink from trials, 
if by them he is to taste sweeter bliss, and feel 
higher rapture in heaven % But it is natural to 
the flesh to dread suffering, of whatever kind it 
may be. This is an instinct of nature — it is a 
feeling of our common humanity, so that none 
can cheerfully bid welcome to the approach of 
sorrow's night, except it be through the influence 
of a living faith, which enables the spiritual eye to 
discern, through the dense gloom, the light of a 
brighter and happier day, in which the soul shall 
revel in joyous pleasure after the darkness shall 



TRIAL. 13 

have fled and gone. And thus should it be with 
the Christian. 

Paul gloried in his tribulations. Not that he 
was not susceptible of pain and anguish, but be- 
cause he had learned to look upon them as being 
for his highest good. He looked forward to the 
period when the trials of his probationary state 
should be exchanged for the unfading honors and 
immortal joys of heaven ; and, in gazing upon 
the prospect, he triumphantly exclaimed: "/ 
reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not 
worthy to he compared with the glory that shall be 
revealed in us.' 9 And though, Christian, you are 
naturally averse to trial, yet is it your privilege 
also to glory in your tribulations ; for the divine 
Word tells you that tribulation worketh patience, 
and patience experience, and experience hope, 
and hope maketh not ashamed, because the love 
of God is shed abroad in the heart by the Holy 
Ghost given unto you. 

The trials of the Christian, in this life, are 
many and various. It would be impossible for us 
to enumerate them all. Such is the variety of the 
circumstances in which different individuals are 



14 THE LIVING WAY. 

placed, such the diversity in the mental constitu- 
tion and temperament of persons, and so various 
are the dealings of God with his children, that all 
the trials through which believers pass could 
scarcely ^e described. The sorrows of many are 
known chiefly to themselves and God ; but it 
may be asserted, as an indubitable fact, that all 
Christians are subject to trials, and heaven can 
be reached only by passing through " tribulation." 
It does not follow, however, from this view of the 
case, that the Christian has no enjoyment. By 
no means. On the contrary, he is the happiest 
of men. While he has his sorrows, he has also 
peculiar joys — joys which do not spring from 
earth, but are born in heaven. He has sources 
of comfort which are unknown to the world, and 
streams of consolation flow into his soul from 
fountains that never go dry ; for though Christ 
has said, " in the world ye shall have tribulation" 
he has also said, "My peace give I unto you" and 
" these things have I spoken unto you that my joy 

MIGHT REMAIN IN YOU, and that YOUR JOY MIGHT 
BE FULL." 

But we wish to speak with more minuteness, 



TRIAL. 15 

now, of some of the trials which are common to 
all Christians, that we may thus be the better 
able to point out, to any suffering child, of God 
that may read these lines, the source of comfort 
and relief. And first, we shall notice temptation, 
as being a trial with which all true believers in 
Christ are experimentally acquainted. From 
this no follower of Jesus is exempt ; for the ad- 
versary, the devil, goeth about as a roaring lion, 
seeking whom he may devour ; and the Apostle, 
in speaking on this subject, says : " there hath 
no temptation taken you but such as is common 
to man." The chief agent in tempting Chris- 
tians is Satan, the inveterate enemy of God and 
of souls. He tempted our first parents, and, by 
his wicked and skillful stratagem, led them from 
the garden of innocence and purity, into the 
desert of sin, wretchedness, and death. And 
though centuries have passed since then, each in 
its turn a witness of the unutterable woes which 
that one temptation, and the fall which succeeded 
it, caused, yet he has not ceased his work of soul 
destruction. All the forces he can muster are 
diligently employed by him to ruin men. His 



16 THE LIVING WAY. 

hellish artillery, however, is particularly leveled 
against those who have deserted his ranks, and 
enlisted under the Captain of their salvation. 
For these he cherishes the most bitter and cruel 
hatred, and no device, which he can use to effect 
their ruin, will he leave untried. He is diligent in 
his w r ork, ever on the alert, and allowing no occa- 
sion to pass unimproved, w T hich favors the execu- 
tion of his malicious designs. He exercises much 
skill in executing his destructive purposes ; for 
all his knowledge, accumulated by ages of expe- 
rience in his work, is brought into requisition here. 
His cunning devices are well matured, and, alas ! 
they are too often successfully tried. 

He makes his assaults in different ways upon 
the Christian. Sometimes he appears as an angel 
of light, arrayed in a winning garb, assuming 
friendly airs, and manifesting the truest regard for 
the soul he seeks to destroy. He will, perhaps, 
suggest schemes by which worldly good and emo- 
luments may be obtained, apparently in the most 
laudable way, but which, if followed, would lead 
the soul away from the cross and from God — its 
refuge and defense. Perils lie in the path which 



TRIAL. 17 

he invites the Christian to travel ; but he contrives 
to conceal them, and to strew it with the most 
lively attractions, and thus many an one has un- 
wittingly been enticed away from Christ, and from 
the land of spiritual consolations and delights, into 
the regions of doubt, condemnation, and woe. 
How often does he present the hook of pleasure, 
skillfully covered with an enticing bait, especially 
to the young Christian. " It would be innocent 
to indulge," he whispers; ' no harm could pos- 
sibly come of such a species of enjoyment." The 
tempted one listens, tastes, yields ; the barrier 
which separated him from the world is in a mea- 
sure broken down. It is comparatively easy to 
take the next step ; religion is soon sacrificed at 
the shrine of pleasure, and the deluded soul only 
awakes, perhaps, to a true consciousness of its 
terror, by the anguish and remorse with which it 
is pierced. 

But it is not always that he makes his attacks 
thus upon the believer. He often appears clothed 
in garments of darkness, and " comes, with hellish 
malice full, to scatter, tear, and slay." As an 
enemy full of vengeance, he makes his assault 



18 THE LIVING WAY. 

upon the child of God. He places images of ter- 
ror before the mind, and fills the soul with dis- 
tracting thoughts and tormenting fears. He digs 
down, as it were, to the foundations of faith, and 
endeavors to undermine the believer's confidence, 
and to rob him of his hope. He suggests that 
God is a hard master, and makes religion seem 
more to be dreaded than desired — more to be ab- 
horred than loved. Under his Satanic influence, 
the blessings of religion seem strangely trans- 
formed into curses, and heaven, which but a little 
while before, when viewed by the unclouded eye 
of faith, seemed so surpassingly lovely, appears 
to lose its attractions, and its beauties are hidden 
in thick gloom. The Christian's unworthiness and 
unfaithfulness are also brought vividly before his 
mind, and despair and abandonment of God, it is 
suggested, are now his portion. In these and 
numerous other ways does Satan molest and seek 
to ruin those who follow the Saviour, and who 
seek for glory, and honor, and immortality, and 
eternal life. But let them trust in God and be 
vigilant, and they shall pass unhurt through the 
furnace of temptation. The power of the great 



TRIAL. 19 

adversary has its limit, and though God permits 
him to tempt believers, yet he sets bounds beyond 
which he cannot pass. 

But is there not great danger of being over- 
come by the tempter? Yes, there most certainly 
is danger, but there is no necessity for it. God 
has said, " Ye shall not be tempted above that 
which ye are able to bear." This is the limit 
beyond which Satan cannot go. God knows pre- 
cisely how much each of his children is able to 
bear, and how much it is needful for them that 
they should bear ; and above that which they are 
able to bear he will allow none of them to be 
tempted. If the temptation be severe, strength is 
given adequate to its endurance, and with the 
temptation, of whatever kind it may be, there is 
a way made for the believer's escape. These 
temptations from the evil one are often very pain- 
ful to endure, and they may be considered among 
the " fiery trials " through which the Christian is 
called to pass. They are as drops of gall min- 
gling in his cup of sweetness, but as medicine — : 
nauseous to the taste — they are designed to pro- 
duce happy results in the end. The compassion- 



20 THE LIVING WAY. 

ate and loving Saviour knows that it is for the 
good of his disciples that they should be tempted. 
He was tempted before them, and he well knows 
how to succor them ; and they have the assur- 
ance that, if they suffer with him, they shall also 
reign with him. Listen, Christian, to the voice 
of your Saviour. He says, u Him that overcom- 
eth will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even 
as I also overcame, and am set down with my 
Father in his throne." You are in the contest 
now, struggling with your great enemy. The 
conflict is severe, but victory is just before you. 
Your foes, indeed, are mighty, but you look for 
strength to One who is almighty, and who has 
promised that, according to your days so shall 
your strength be. Kejoice, then, in the midst of 
the battle ; for, with an unwavering trust in God, 
your defeat is impossible. The great Captain of 
your salvation has conquered, and so may you. 
The victory of Jesus is a pledge of yours. Be 
faithful to him and you shall overcome ; and when 
you have, and stand with your feet upon the neck 
of your enemy, you shall be exalted to immortal 
honors, and with your Saviour crowned, and en- 



TRIAL. 21 

throned in realms of light, you shall have an 
eternity to sing your song of triumph, while you 
shall 

" In his kingdom have a share, 
And palms of victory ever bear, 
In endless day." 

Courage, then, brother ! Eejoice in hope. Look 
forward to the reward that awaits you. Nerve 
yourself for the conflict. Gird on the whole ar- 
mor, and you shall prevail. Be patient, be trust- 
ful, and remember what the inspired word tells 
you : " Blessed is the man that endure th tempta- 
tion, for when he is tried he shall receive the 
crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to 
them that love him." 

But, beside temptations from the evil one, 
there are other and severe trials which Christians 
are frequently called to endure. Faith is often 
put to severe tests under providential dispensa- 
tions. The dealings of God with his children 
often appear mysterious. His ways are not as 
our ways, nor his thoughts as our thoughts. His 
conduct, sometimes, towards us, is so very differ- 
ent from our own views of things, that we are 



22 THE LIVING WAY. 

amazed and confounded, and, perhaps, almost 
disposed to say to the Being of infinite wisdom 
and goodness, "What doest thou?" But, how- 
ever dark the providence, it is the Christian's duty 
to bow in meek submission to the will divine, 
assured that the Judge of all the earth will do 
right. 

Perchance there is one now reading these lines, 
who has been suddenly and unexpectedly be- 
reaved of a dear friend — one around whom the 
strongest tendrils of affection entwined — a con- 
genial spirit, in the light of whose presence the 
soul basked with a fond and almost supreme de- 
light — a husband, a w T ife, a parent, a child, or 
some other beloved one has passed from your 
embrace, and is now slumbering in the cold, dark 
grave ; the hand that took away your friend, ex- 
tinguished a light in your heart, and cast a dark- 
ness over your spirit, such as may be felt. The 
affliction, I know, is severe, the trial is exceed- 
ingly grievous ; but it is, doubtless, for your 
good. It was a chastening; but, perhaps, your 
heavenly Father saw that you needed the cor- 
rection, and, therefore, he applied it ; not for the 



TRIAL. 23 

sake of wounding you, but for your final happi- 
ness. It was, perhaps, just such a correction as 
you most needed. No other, probably, would 
have done as well, if it would have answered the 
end at all. That child, perhaps, had become 
your idol ; your attachment to that bosom friend 
may have been of such a nature as to lead your 
affections from God and heaven, and fix them 
upon the earth ; or some other reason, unknown, 
perhaps, to you, was seen of God, and he, in or- 
der, probably, to save you, or, at least, to benefit 
you, inflicted the sore chastisement. But, de- 
spise it not, " neither be weary of his correction, 
for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, even as 
a father the son in whom he delightetli." The 
stroke, indeed, was painful, but it came from the 
hand of a loving Father, and it was love, and not 
wrath, that prompted him to inflict it ; and, in the 
future world, when the mists that now darken 
your vision shall have vanished in the light of 
eternity, these providences, which now seem so 
hard and mysterious, will be clearly explained to 
you; for God says, "What I do thou knowest 
not now, but thou shalt know hereafter." And, 



24 THE LIVING WAY.. 

when you see this part of the divine procedure 
toward you in the light of " that day," divested 
of all its mystery, you will be compelled to ad- 
mit that " Jesus has done all things well." 

Or, if you have not, in the providence of God, 
been thus bereaved, you may have been called to 
endure other trials — God may have deprived you 
of health, and instead of being permitted to min- 
gle with your fellows in the active employments 
and social pleasures of life, you are confined to a 
couch of solitude and pain. The slowly wasting 
and torturing influences of disease are at work 
upon your system, and the world's loveliness and 
attractions have faded from your sight. Your 
sun has become clouded in the darkness of afflic- 
tion. You may feel like saying with Job, " He 
hath fenced up my way that I cannot pass, and 
he hath set darkness in my paths. He hath 
stripped me of my glory, and taken the crown 
from my head. He hath destroyed me on every 
side and I am gone, and my hope hath he re- 
moved like a tree." Yet, do not despond, neither 
be fearful of heart. Your present sufferings are, 
probably, your greatest blessings. Your chastise- 



TRIAL. 25 

ment is from the hand of omnipotent Love ; and 
though "no chastening for the present seemeth 
to be joyous, but grievous, nevertheless, it after- 
ward yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteous- 
ness unto them which are exercised thereby." 

It is often the case, that we are disposed to re- 
gard our own trials as peculiar — to think that 
other Christians are not called to pass through 
such scenes of difficulty and suffering as we are 
called to pass through ; yet this is a mistake. 
Our own trials may seem heaviest, but it is only 
because we ourselves bear them, and consequently 
are more familiar with them than we are with the 
griefs of others; but, did we know what others 
suffer, as well as we know what we ourselves en- 
dure, the case would appear different, and we 
should then see that what the Apostle says is 
true : " Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, 
and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth." A 
judicious parent sometimes finds it necessary to 
inflict pain upon his child ; yet it is not because 
he delights to see his child suffer, but because he 
believes the punishment to be necessary to his 

child's welfare; and so is it with our heavenly 
3 



26 THE LIVING WAY. 

Father. He afflicts his children, but it is because 
they need correction and discipline, and all the 
chastisements they suffer, when properly borne, 
tend only to fit them more perfectly for the fel- 
lowships and felicities of a sinless and unsuffering 
state. 

So far as the principle is concerned, God deals 
with all his people alike. He may, indeed, inflict 
a different kind of chastisement upon one, from 
what he does upon another, but though the 
method, by which the correction is given, may differ, 
all true believers are brought under his correcting 
hand; for, says the Apostle, "If ye be without 
chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are 
ye bastards and not sons." Afflicted Christian, 
there is an important lesson for you to learn, if 
you have not already learned it, and that is, the 
lesson of. submission. It is your duty to bear 
your sufferings with meekness, and with entire 
resignation to the will of God. Your afflictions, 
unless caused by your own indiscretion and folly, 
are not the result of mere chance or accident ; the 
circumstances that caused them were under the 
control of your almighty Saviour, and he, who 



TRIAL. 27 

numbers the hairs of your head, and who does 
not permit a sparrow to fall to the ground with- 
out his notice, ordered your afflictions for your 
profit. Paul says, " We have had fathers of our 
flesh which corrected us, and we gave them rever- 
ence, shall we not much rather be in subjection 
to the father of spirits and live ? for they, verily, 
for a few days chastened us after their own plea- 
sure, but he for our profit, that we might be par- 
takers of his holiness." 

Suffering believer, submit yourself, therefore, to 
God. If it is his will that you should be made 
perfect through suffering, gladly say amen. Let 
your spirit rise upon the" pinions of a triumphant 
faith, far above your present tribulations, and 
revel in the dawning of the serene light of heaven. 
Contemplate your future rest. Think of the 
eternity of joy that awaits you. Gaze upon visions 
of immortal bliss, and of heavenly rapture, and as 
often as your spirit is drawn back to earth by 
your incumbrances of body, remember that your 
sufferings and your " trials here will only make 
you richer there, when you arrive at home. ,, 
Thus, amid your physical sufferings, will your 



28 THE LIVING WAY. 

soul feel the thrills of holy ecstasy and joyous 
hope, and when, at last, the days of your sojourn- 
ing below shall have ended, you shall soar, with- 
out any clogs of pain to weary your flight, to 
shine in the likeness of your Kedeemer — a trophy 
of his grace — in the world of glory forever. 

I have read of an individual who had been the 
subject of deep afflictions, and who, in writing in 
regard to them, spoke of their effect upon him as 
follows : " I feel that repeated afflictions come, 
not as lightnings on the scathed tree, blasting it 
yet more, but as the strokes of the sculptor on 
the marble block, forming it into the image of life 
and loveliness. Let but the Divine presence be 
felt, and no lot is hard. Let me but see his hand, 
and no event is unwelcome." In this illustration, 
two points are beautifully set forth. The first is, 
that the design and tendency of afflictions are not 
to deform and destroy the soul, but to remove 
from it whatever mars its symmetry and hides its 
beauty, and to put upon it an elegance which no 
other process could give ; in other words, to purify 
it from its defilement, and to adorn it, in an emi- 
nent degree, with the graces of the Holy Spirit, 



TRIAL. 29 

which God in his wisdom sees could not be done so 
effectually by any other means. The other is, that 
Christians should receive and bear afflictions in a 
confiding and trustful spirit, looking more at the 
benefits which are designed to grow out of them, 
than at the afflictions themselves. It much de- 
pends upon the manner in which we bear our 
trials, whether or no they accomplish their gra- 
cious and loving design. Afflictions, like many 
other blessings, may be abused. If we become 
impatient and fretful under them, and cast away 
our confidence, we shall stand as the tree riven 
and scathed by lightning, a warning and terror to 
our fellows ; but if, with a submissive spirit and 
an unfaltering faith, we meekly endure chastise- 
ment, as seeing him who is invisible, we shall 
come out from the furnace purified, and shining 
with a brighter lustre than ever adorned us be- 
fore. 

I know an aged Christian whom I have heard 
express his thankfulness to God for being poor. 
He had lost the most that he possessed of this 
world's treasures, and was reduced to a state of 

poverty ; but for this he was thankful, for he be- 
3* 



30 THE LIVING WAY. 

lievecl that, had lie been permitted to enjoy 
wealth, he would have neglected his obligations 
to God, and consequently the salvation of his 
soul, and hence, though, like his Master, it was 
his lot to pass to heaven through the vale of 
poverty, yet he could rejoice, for he esteemed the 
reproach of Christ, and the final recompense of 
reward which he hoped to gain, far greater riches 
than all the wealth of earth. How many there 
are, who, by sudden reverses of fortune, have 
most unexpectedly been made poor. Events, 
which no human prescience could discern, have 
occurred to hurl them from the summit of worldly 
prosperity into the depths of poverty. These 
financial changes in the temporal condition of 
men are sometimes unaccountable. The mantle 
of mystery hangs over them, and we seem to seek 
in vain for the solution of the problem, why are 
these things so % But while, in the case of men 
of the world, human wisdom staggers before these 
dark providences, in the case of the Christian, 
light from an unearthly source breaks through the 
veil of mystery, and makes the secret plain — 
"All tilings ivork together for good to them that love 



TRIAL. 31 

God." This solves the problem. The "all 
tilings" include every event which can befall the 
Christian in the present life, whether it be pros- 
perous or adverse. So, then, the loss of his 
worldly goods is one of the things which is to 
work for his spiritual profit, which is of far more 
consequence than all earthly emoluments and pos- 
sessions. 

" A Spanish artist was once employed to exe- 
cute a painting of the last supper. It was his 
object to throw all the sublimity of his art into 
the figure and countenance of the ■ Saviour ; but 
on the table, in the foreground of the picture, he 
painted some chased cups, so exceedingly beauti- 
ful and so skillfully painted, that the attention of 
all who called to see the picture was at once at- 
tracted to the cups, and every one was loud in 
their praise. The painter, observing this, saw 
that Ke had failed in his design of directing atten- 
tion to the principal object in the picture, and 
exclaiming, ' I have made a mistake, for these 
cups divert the eyes of the spectator from the 
Master,' he immediately seized his brush and 
dashed them from the canvas." And thus does 



32 THE LIVING WAT. 

God often deal with his children. When he sees 
that their affections are too strongly and exclu- 
sively fixed upon earthly objects, so that they are 
likely to lose sight of himself, and endanger the 
interests of their souls, he removes those objects, 
and though the removal may cause the Christian 
uneasiness and pain, yet is his spiritual welfare 
promoted thereby, and he can well afford to lose 
his earthly treasures, for the sake of gaining a 
greater reward in heaven. 

It is better to lie with Lazarus in poverty and 
want at the rich man's gate, and be carried from 
thence by angels to Abraham's bosom, than, with 
the rich man himself, to be clothed in purple and 
fine linen, and fare sumptuously every day, for a 
season, and then descend into hell to be tormented 
in its flames forever. Christian reader, has God 
taken your wealth from you, and has a night of 
poverty settled over you? If so, murmur not; 
good may yet come of this seeming evil. God 
designed, perhaps, to teach you a lesson of 
humility, or to show you the vanity of earthly 
things, and thus lead you to place your affections 
more fully upon spiritual objects, and to seek 



TRIAL. 33 

more earnestly the true riches. The discipline 
may seem severe ; but, doubtless, it is a whole- 
some one. While you are losing treasure upon 
earth, you may be gaining it in heaven. Look 
forward, then, and rejoice. If faithful, you will 
soon go to possess your inheritance above — an 
inheritance that is incorruptible, undefiled, and 
that fadeth not away. 



CHAPTER III. 

ON TRUSTING IN GOD. 

" Blessed are all they that put their trust in him." 

Human nature is so constituted that it must 
have something out of itself to confide in and to 
rely upon. No individual can be either safe or 
happy who depends upon nothing but himself. 
Man must lean for strength and support upon 
something beyond himself, or fall in weakness and 
helplessness to the dust. Nature must have re- 
course to sources of enjoyment extrinsic to itself, 
or else be solitary, desolate, and wretched. All 
have their objects of dependence. Some depend 
upon one thing, some upon another. But alas ! 
how comparatively few place all their dependence 
upon him who has said, " Cast thy burden upon 
the Lord, and he shall sustain thee." Many trust 
in the world and in the things that are in the 



ON TRUSTING IN GOD. 35 

world. They expect all their happiness and all 
their support from earth. Here they seek to lay 
up their treasure, and they never look to a higher 
state, but act as though they expected their 
present life would never terminate. But how 
fatal is the delusion of such persons, and how 
sorrowfully must they realize, that 

14 The world can never give 
The bliss for which they sigh ;" 

and how deeply will they feel, sooner or later, 
the truthfulness of those inspired words, " All is 
vanity and vexation of sp>irit." 

The case of these individuals is strikingly illus- 
trated by the Saviour in the parable of the rich 
fool. Surrounded by an abundance of the things 
of this life, and with his heart trusting in them, 
" he thought within himself, saying, What shall I 
do, because I have no room where to bestow my 
fruits ? And he said this will I do, I will pull 
down my barns and build greater, and there will I 
bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will 
say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid 
up for many years, take thine ease, eat, drink, 



3G THE LIVING WAY. 

and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou 
fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee, 
then whose shall those things be which thou hast 
provided ?" Here we see the folly of trusting in 
earthly things. These things, however desirable 
and useful, are not designed for the soul's exclu- 
sive reliance. In order to be safe and peaceful, 
it must have a nobler, higher object of dependence. 
It must repose in God, as saith the scripture — 
" Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose 
mind is stayed on thee, because he trustcth in 
thee." It is the duty and privilege of the Chris- 
tian to trust in God — to trust in him at all times 
and under all circumstances. Trust means con- 
fidence and reliance. The soul that confides in 
and relies upon God is a trustful soul. That 
soul is blessed in the highest sense ; for the word 
of truth declares — " Blessed are all they that put 
their trust in him." 

It is the Christian's privilege to trust in God 
for divine guidance. The Psalmist confesses the 
need that God's people have of guidance from 
above, when he says — " Thou wilt guide me by 
thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory." 



ON TRUSTING IN GOD. 37 

How incompetent are we to guide ourselves, and, 
if we attempt it, how liable are we to run into 
error and danger. We cannot penetrate the fu- 
ture, nor discern, beforehand, the events that shall 
befall us, nor know the circumstances in which we 
shall hereafter be placed. From the natural de- 
fectiveness of our judgment, as well as from pre- 
judice and feeling, how easily might we choose a 
wrong path for our feet ; and what fearful conse- 
quences to ourselves and others might result from 
that one wrong choice. Suppose a man is tra- 
veling to a distant city. Important interests 
depend upon his reaching it. As he pursues his 
way, he reaches a point where the road diverges 
into different forks, which lead in contrary direc- 
tions. Ke knows not which is the right course 
to take, but he knows that, if he takes a wrong 
one, sad consequences must follow. How import- 
ant, then, that he should be directed by one who 
knows precisely which road he ought to take. 
Such direction would secure him from the danger 
of pursuing a wrong course, while it would save 
him from apprehensions that he was going wrong 

as he pursued his journey. 
.4 



38 THE LIVING WAY. 

It is so with the Christian. Sometimes different 
paths stretch out before him, and he knows not 
which he ought to travel. If he takes a wrong 
course, he may run into danger and ruin. He needs, 
therefore, an infallible guide, and such a guide he 
has — " The steps of a good man are ordered by 
the Lord." To the Christian, God says — " Com- 
mit thy way unto the Lord ; trust thou also in 
him and he shall bring it to pass." Infinite wis- 
dom, then, is pledged for his guidance. That 
wisdom cannot err. He that is directed of the 
Lord goeth right. Whenever there is doubt or 
perplexity in the mind of a believer, with regard 
to what is duty, and when he hesitates, not 
knowing which way to pursue, let him, in earnest, 
believing prayer, seek direction from him who has 
condescended to be the leader and friend of hi.s 
people, and he may confidently expect that God 
will lead him, with his own right hand, in the 
way in which he should go. It is the Christian's 
privilege to expect divine direction in his temporal 
as well as in his spiritual concerns. God is to 
be recognized in business as well as in devotion, 
and in providence as w r ell as in grace. Are you, 



ON TRUSTING IN GOD. 39 

my reader, contemplating a change in your tem- 
poral condition ? And are you in perplexity as to 
the course you should take ? Or are you young 
and about leaving the paternal roof, to go out, 
like Abraham, into the world, not knowing whi- 
ther you shall go ? 0, how precious is the con- 
solation, that your Father in heaven will direct 
your course, and. guide you with his eye. Hear 
him as he speaks to you from his werd — " Trust 
in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto 
thine own understanding. In all thy ways 
acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." 
But, remember, you are to trust in the Lord, if 
you would be directed by him. You are not to 
lean to, L e., not to confide in your own under- 
standing, but in the infinite wisdom and goodness 
of God. Your trust must be full and entire. It 
must be the reliance of the whole heart, un- 
divided by any other object of dependence. In 
all your ways, you must acknowledge him, i. e., 
submit to his direction and control, and then 
you have the assurance that he will direct your 
steps. 

How great is the advantage of the believer over 



40 THE LIVING WAY. 

the unbeliever, in this respect. The one is guided 
by a wisdom which knows all things from the be- 
ginning to the end, and whose directions ar6 
always infallible ; the other is led by the weak, 
erring wisdom of man — by chance or caprice, and 
is consequently like a ship tossed upon the bosom 
of the sea, without chart, compass, or helm. 0, 
how happy and secure are they who are guided 
by an omnipotent hand. Gloom may sometimes 
overspread their sky, and darkness settle upon 
their pathway, yet, trusting in God, they shall 
walk in safety, and reach the end of their journey 
in peace. But how insecure are they who attempt 
to walk alone, without looking for guidance from 
above. God says : " The way of the wicked is as 
darkness ; they know not at what they stumble." 
Surely, it must be so. They are like a man 
walking toward a precipice willfully blindfolded. 
Though they are faithfully admonished of their 
error and danger, yet they close their ears against 
the friendly voice of warning, and rush onward. 
What wonder, therefore, if they speedily perish ? 
It is the Christian's privilege to trust in God, as 
a supporter and deliverer, amid all the troubles and 



ON TRUSTING IN GOD. 41 

difficulties of life. The world is a vale ot tears. 
Trouble and sorrow are the portion of all men, 
and the children of God are not exempt from the 
common lot. In consequence of their mortality, 
they are doomed to suffer so long as they remain 
in the present world. 

'St. Paul is an example to the Christian in his 
difficulties and sorrows, as well as in his triumphs 
and rejoicings; and Paul, though he had been 
caught up into the third heaven, and saw things 
which it was not lawful for man to utter, and 
though he had been honored with direct revela- 
tions from God, was, nevertheless, the subject of 
affliction. He was troubled with a thorn in the 
flesh. From this thorn he earnestly sought to be 
delivered ; but God saw best not to remove it, 
and he was compelled to endure the pain which it 
caused him. But did he endure it in his own 
strength? No. Brave and mighty as he was, 
he was not able to bear himself up under this 
great trial. What, then, did he do % He trusted 
in God. He cast himself, in the assurance of 
faith, upon the divine promise, " My grace is suf- 
ficient for thee" And trusting thus, he found 
4* 



42 THE LIVING WAY. 

the everlasting arms firm beneath him. He was 
upheld by Christ, and such strength and comfort 
were afforded him, that he was able to exclaim : 
"Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in 
my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest 
upon me ; therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, 
in reproaches, in persecutions, in distresses, for 
Christ's sake; for when I am weak then am 1 
strong." Christian reader, are you in any way 
tormented with a thorn in the flesh ? Is pain, or 
persecution, or neglect, or poverty, your portion 
in this life ? It is your privilege to exercise the 
same spirit of trustfulness that Paul exercised, 
and to rejoice even as he rejoiced. If you will 
only trust, you may experience that strong con- 
solation in the midst of affliction which Paul ex- 
perienced. Eepose, then, in confidence, upon 
the love and faithfulness of God. Go to him 
with all your sorrows and with all your cares, 
and remember these precious words : " Cast 
thy burden upon the Lord and he shall sustain 
theer 

Behold yonder multitude. They are just leav- 
ing a land where they have been subject to severe 



ON TRUSTING IN GOD. 43 

toil and oppressive bondage, and are commencing 
their journey to a land of rest and freedom. 
Having been released from captivity, their hearts 
swell with gladness as they pursue their way 
toward the place of their destination. They are 
the children of Israel, departing from the land of 
Egypt. Led by Moses, their temporal deliverer 
and guide, they march cheerfully onward, feeling 
that the burden that galled them has fallen from 
their backs, and that now, through the goodness 
of God, they are secure from the rage and oppres- 
sion of their enemies. But, as they are thus 
feasting upon their new-born joy, they look be- 
hind, and lo! they see the Egyptians pressing 
hard upon them. They are sore afraid, but they 
look to God for help. Before them is the Eed 
Sea, and behind them are their foes; but they 
rely upon an almighty arm for protection and 
deliverance, and that arm is outstretched to save 
them. Moses is divinely empowered to divide the 
waters of the sea. At his mandate they separate. 
and, rolling up, form a wall on either side. The 
Israelites move forward, and pass to the other 
shore, without being touched by the liquid ele- 



44 THE LIVING WAY. 

ment. The Egyptians attempt to pursue them 
— they enter upon the bed of the deep — the wa- 
ters roll over them, and they perish. Wonderful 
interposition of an almighty Benefactor ! What 
a striking illustration of the truth, that "they 
that put their trust in the Lord shall never be 
confounded." How many of God's people are 
there who are thus pursued by vengeful foes. 
Before them and behind them they see nothing 
but danger, and there seems to be no way of es- 
cape. Let all such trust in the God of Israel, 
and deliverance shall come. It may be delayed, 
or it may not be so striking as the deliverance of 
the Israelites was, but it shall come. God's 
promise insures it. For " they that trust in the 
Lord shall be as Mount Zion, which cannot be 
removed, but which abide th forever ;" and " there 
is no weapon that can be formed against them 
that shall prosper." 

How numerous and instructive are the examples 
in Scripture of the interposition of God in behalf 
of those who have put their trust in him. A pious 
Joseph is sold by jealous kinsmen, and carried 
into Egypt ; but, remaining faithful to his God, 



OX TRUSTING IN GOD. 45 

lie is at length elevated to the second place in the 
kingdom, and is made the instrument, under God, 
of saving the Egyptian nation, as well as his 
father's family, from starvation and death. The 
three Hebrew children are commanded to bow 
down and worship the golden image which King 
Nebuchadnezzar had set up ; but they refused, 
determining not to thus dishonor God ; and, in 
consequence of their faithfulness, they are cast 
into the burning fiery furnace, which was heated 
seven times hotter than it was wont to be heated. 
But they maintained their confidence, and God 
delivered them from the power of the raging 
flames, so that when they came out of the fur- 
nace, there was no smell of fire on their clothes. 
Daniel, because of his devotion to God, was cast 
into the den of lions ; but God sent his angels, 
and closed the lions' mouths, so that they could 
not hurt him. And with all these examples be- 
fore him, how can any Christian doubt that God 
will protect him from the power of those who 
seek to seduce or force him from his allegiance 
to Christ, or to degrade him by the arm of op- 
pression, or to defame him with the malicious 



46 THE LIVING WAY. 

tongue of slander ! Such a doubt, certainly, is 
unworthy of any who bear the Christian name. 
Even if they are permitted to suffer for a season, 
and a cloud is allowed to veil the purity of their 
Christian character, they will only be the happier, 
and shine the brighter when the suffering and the 
cloud have both vanished away. 

I have heard a touching incident related of a 
little child that lost herself in a wood. Night 
came on, and she had not been found by her 
friends. After a time, however, they found her ; 
and, on inquiring of her as to her condition dur- 
ing the night, she replied, " I asked God to take 
care of baby, and then went to sleep." How r 
beautiful was her faith. She committed herself 
by prayer to God, in the lonely wood, away from 
her parents and home, and having thus committed 
herself to his care, no fear disquieted her mind. 
She believed that God would take care of her, and 
she went to sleep. 0, that all Christians, in time 
of danger and difficulty, would but trust in God, 
as did this little child. How, then, would they 
be saved from tormenting anxieties and fear. 
How peaceful and serene would their souls re- 



ON TRUSTING IN GOD. 47 

main, amid the darkness and storms of their 
earthly pilgrimage, and how sweetly would the 
light of heaven open at last upon their vision — 
the token and pledge of their last deliverance. 



CHAPTEE IV. 

ENCOURAGEMENT TO AS K — H O L I N E S S 

" Ask and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full." 

Of whom shall I ask? for what shall I ask? 
and what are the motives that should induce me 
to ask? are questions which the Christian may 
put to his own heart. He finds it necessary to 
ask for many favors at the hands of his fellows ; 
but there are greater and better favors, which he 
must ask at the hands of a greater than man. 
There are blessings — blessings which are neces- 
sary to his daily life — which man cannot give, 
and which no being in all the universe but God 
can bestow. He must, therefore, ask of God. 
But can it be that sinful man may enter into the 
presence of the Great Jehovah, and ask for un- 
merited blessings ? Yes ; astonishing as it may 
seem, God says unto all who will hear his words, 



ENCOURAGEMENT TO ASK HOLINESS. 49 

" Ask, and ye shall receive.' ' For what shall 1 
ask? Now, it would be possible for a man to 
ask God for many things which he might never 
receive, because he might ask for such things as 
God would not see best to bestow. For example, 
a man whom God designs shall be poor, migh L , 
ask for riches ; or a man might ask for a change 
in his circumstances, which God would see best 
not to grant ; and yet he would be doing them a 
greater favor by withholding than he would by 
granting their requests, because those things for 
which they ask, God sees, instead of being bless- 
ings, would prove to be curses to them. We do 
not say that men should not ask God for temporal 
things, but we do say that, when they ask for such 
things, they should ask in resignation to the di- 
vine will, then, if the Lord sees proper to give 
them what they ask for, they should be thankful ; 
but, if he does not, they should not murmur nor 
repine, for he, who knoweth all things, knows far 
better what is best for them than they do them- 
selves. 

But while the Christian is thus restricted in his 

petitions for temporal blessings to the wisdom 
5 



50 THE LIVING WAY. 

and will of God, we find nowhere in the Bible 
that any limits or restrictions are to be fixed to 
his prayers for spiritual things. On the contrary, 
Ave find the Apostle Paul praying that his Ephe- 
sian brethren might possess an indwelling Christ 
in their hearts, and that, being rooted and 
grounded in love, they might be able to compre- 
hend with all saints the breadth, and length, and 
depth, and height, and know the love of Christ, 
which passeth knowledge, and be filled with all 
the fullness of God. In this prayer we find no- 
thing like restriction to the apostle's enlarged 
desires. His petition grasps, in its range, an 
immensity of grace, which can be neither bounded 
nor fathomed, except by God himself. " Who 
shall tell what it is to be rooted and grounded in 
love? to be able to comprehend the breadth, and 
length, and depth, and height, and know the love 
of Christ, which passeth knowledge? to be filled. 
with all the fullness of God? Depths of divine 
love, who can fathom them ? Who shall reach to 
its height, or comprehend its breadth? Here is 
wisdom which none but God can reveal ! Here 
is understanding which none but the pure in heart 



ENCOURAGEMENT TO ASK HOLINESS. 51 

can know ! But what is it to be filled with God ? 
And, as if that were not enough, with the full- 
ness of God? And as if, still, that were not 
enough, with all the fullness of God? We 
cannot tell what it is. Perhaps an angel from 
heaven might ; perhaps not. Paul himself might 
have failed to define it, though he knew it and 
felt it, and knew and felt its delightful possibility 
for his brethren. Or, did he not know ? could he 
otherwise have prayed for it? Might he,- by any 
possibility, have ' bowed his knees to the Father 
of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole 
family in heaven and earth is named,' to pray for 
impossibilities, known to be such ? And then, 
might he record his petitions for holy Scripture, 
and conclude with a doxology, because God was 
able to fulfill all the known impossibilities wilich 
he had been praying for? and 'exceeding abun- 
dantly f jSTo, it is every jot the word of God, and 
would that we might take hold of it with all our 
hearts, and hail, with believing adoration, our Re- 
deemer God, the Almighty, with whom all things 
are possible !" 

The Gospel provides for the gratification of 



52 THE LIVING WAY. 

the most enlarged spiritual desires which the 
heart can feel, or that the mind can comprehend. 
None need fear of asking too much, for the grace 
of God is infinite, and it " is as free as air." The 
Christian should let his desires expand to their 
utmost capacity, and his aspirations rise to their 
greatest height, and then, when the mind and 
heart both become amazed and staggered in the 
contemplation of the greatness of the divine love, 
and can think and ask no more, then comes in that 
declaration of the Apostle, which compensates for 
the weakness of the heart and mind, and puts a 
climax of glory upon the whole : " He is able to do 

EXCEEDING ABUNDANTLY ABOVE ALL THAT WE CAN 

ask or think.' ' It is to be feared that one great 
reason why so many professed Christians are 
mere babes and dwarfs, when they ought to be 
strong men in Christ, is because they are too 
scanty in their askings. Instead of asking large 
blessings, they ask only for small ones ; instead 
of seeking for the full measure of the Spirit, they 
seek only for a small degree of his gracious and 
sanctifying influences. It could hardly be other- 
wise than that they should be lean in their reli- 



ENCOURAGEMENT TO ASK HOLINESS. 53 

gious experience, when their petitions grasp only 
such limited blessings. They ought to ask 
largely. They ought to seek for all the fullness 
of the blessing of the gospel of peace. They 
ought to struggle and groan in intense earnest- 
ness of soul, until God open wide the door of his 
grace, and pour salvation in all its plenitude upon 
them. Then would they come up out of the wil- 
derness, bright in the lustre of their Christian 
virtues ; sadness would no more cast its veil over 
their countenances, and grief would no more fix 
its barbed arrows in their souls, but peace, deep 
and abiding, joy unutterable and light serene 
would be their portion; yea, all the abundant 
consolations of grace would be theirs. 

And why is it that professed Christians ask for 
so little, when there is so much in reversion for 
them? Alas, this question is fraught with pain- 
ful suggestions. Is it not because they do not 
earnestly desire more grace? It is to be feared 
that much of the fault lies here. However it may 
be with some, it is evident that a large proportion 
of those who profess to be disciples of Christ are 

not earnestly striving to reach a higher spiritual 
5* 



54 THE LIVING WAY. 

life. They do not hunger and thirst after 
righteousness, consequently they are not rilled. 
They are worldly, proud, or indolent, and are not 
willing to submit entirely to the easy yoke of 
Christ. The world has enamored them, and they 
seek for its wealth as for hidden treasures. Their 
worldly plans and pursuits claim much of their 
thought and care, while they but seldom, perhaps, 
think of a treasure that is incorruptible in heaven. 
Or they are ambitious to shine in society, and to 
receive the attention and applause of their fel- 
lows, while they are comparatively careless about 
the favor and approbation of God. Or they are 
slothful, and while their desires may be good, 
they lack that energy and might of effort which 
taketh the kingdom of heaven by force. Alas ! 
for Christianity, that these things are so. Alas ! 
for the church, that so many half-hearted pro- 
fessors linger at her altars. 

Who can estimate the amount of injury which 
the cause of Christ suffers from the inconsistency 
of those who are professedly its votaries. 0, that 
such would awake to a deep and sorrowful con- 
sciousness of their unfaithfulness, and turn with 



ENCOURAGEMENT TO ASK HOLINESS. 55 

all their hearts unto God ! To all such I would 
say, Go directly to the mercy-seat ; humbly con- 
fess your short-comings and sins ; ask pardon ; 
plead the divine promise and the merits of Jesus. 
Go not away until you are blest Eenew your 
covenant, and wait in humble confidence at the 
foot of the cross until you receive a deep and 
powerful baptism of the Holy Spirit, and then, 
instead of resting, persevere ; continue to ask, and 
to ask largely, until you can look up to God and 

say : 

" 'Tis done ! thou dost this moment save, 
With full salvation bless ; 
Redemption through thy blood I have, 
And spotless love and peace.' 7 

Then shall you know the exalted pleasures of 
deep spirituality, and taste the hallowed delights 
of intimate union with God. Your will will be in 
harmony with his. His service will be your 
highest pleasure, and his glory will be preferred 
to your chief joy. Your life will pass happily 
away, because you will enjoy the presence and 
blessing of your Saviour, and death, when it 
comes, will be met without dismay or terror, be- 
cause Christ will be present to lead you through 



56 THE LIVING WAY. 

the dark valley, and the glittering spires of the 
heavenly city will at last greet the eye of your 
spirit, amid the rejoicings of angels, and the 
shouts of redeemed spirits, who will welcome you 
to the participation of their rest and joys. 

In asking, the Christian should remember to be 
definite in his requests. His petitions should not 
he vague and unmeaning, but they should be 
prompted by a deep and intelligent sense of his 
need. He should endeavor to understand his 
wants, to know his duty, and to realize his privi- 
lege. The very idea of prayer seems to imply 
that the petitioner should have some definite 
request to make, or blessing to ask, when he ap- 
proaches the throne of grace. God has instituted 
prayer, not because he does not know what we 
want before we ask him, but because he has seen 
proper to make our asking the condition of our 
receiving. So, then, if it is necessary to ask at 
all in order to receive, it is necessary to ask defi- 
nitely. The Saviour said to his disciples, " what- 
soever ye ask the Father in my name, that will he 
give unto you ;" and again, " ask what ye will and 
it shall be done unto you." Here we are taught 



ENCOURAGEMENT TO ASK HOLINESS. 57 

that our petitions should he definite. We must 
ask — we must ask for something ; then, according 
to the divine promise, that which we ask for, if it 
be in accordance with the will of God, will be 
granted unto us. 

From this view of the case, it appears that 
prayer ought to be a matter of deep and serious 
thoughtfulness with the person that offers it. He 
should often inquire of himself, What blessing do 
I specially need at the hands of my heavenly Fa- 
ther? He should seek the answer in the inward 
recesses of his spirit. He should try to learn 
what temptations most assail him, what sin 
thrusts most sorely at him, what are his peculiar 
weaknesses, and what effect the outward circum- 
stances that surround him have upon his mind. 
Having thus carefully endeavored to form a just 
estimate of his wants, let him go to God, and 
present his case in his sight, and definitely and 
earnestly ask for those blessings which he feels 
that he needs, and, relying upon the divine prom- 
ise, let him expect to receive. 

Much has been said and written upon the 
doctrine of Christian holiness. Doubtless, the 



58 THE LIVING WAY* 

Christian reader has heard much said upon this- 
interesting and important subject. His mind, 
perhaps, has been strongly interested in it, and 
he may even be longing in spirit for the posses- 
sion of this- unspeakable blessing. It is of the 
greatest importance, to those who are seeking for 
a deeper work of grace, that they have a clear and 
precise idea of the object at which they aim. To 
expect to make advancement without this, is very 
much as though one should attempt to amass 
wealth without being able to distinguish a golden 
eagle from a copper coin. The probabilities, at 
least, would be upon the side of failure. 

It seems to me, that, if there is any subject 
upon which the Christian ought to have clear and 
definite views, it is the subject of scriptural holi- 
ness. And where shall he go to obtain such views ? 
Is it important that he should examine the various 
controversies upon this subject, and endeavor to 
learn the opinions of different persons with regard 
to it ! Some light might be gathered from these- 
sources; but, as a general thing, I doubt if it 
would be advisable to pursue such a course. Some 
able writers upon this subject, it might, indeed, bfr 



ENCOURAGEMENT TO ASK HOLINESS. 59 

profitable to read — such as Wesley and Fletcher, 
<and, perhaps, seme others of a later clay, and 
their writings I would commend to the reader's 
attention. Still I would hold the Bible upper- 
most, and would say, with emphasis—" To the 
law and to the testimony." Here the true stand- 
ard of holiness is to be found, and whatever 
theories rise above, or fall below, the criterion here 
given, are essentially defective, and -should, there- 
fore, be avoided* 

But what do the Scriptures teach expressly 
upon this subject c ? This is the great inquiry to 
be answered, and, if this can be answered clearly 
and satisfactorily, our doubting s and vain reason- 
ings upon this question must cease. Now, the 
Gospel teaches that it is the duty of man to love 
God with all his heart, with all his soul, with all 
his mind, and with all his strength, and the 
Apostle Paul says that " love is the fulfilling of 
the law." These truths are corroborated by all 
that the New Testament teaches upon the subject, 
and, therefore, we conclude that loving God with 
all the heart is the true scriptural standard of 
holiness. It is the imperative duty of every man 



60 THE LIVING WAY. 

to love God, and when it is asked what is to be 
the degree or measure of this love, it is answered, 
there is no limit to be fixed to it but the capability 
of the nature. The command above quoted 
demands all the love that the heart is capable of 
rendering, and when a man loves God thus, h& 
surely can do no more. But it may be asked, if 
a man loves God to the utmost of which he is 
capable, can he grow in grace ! May he advance 
to any higher attainments in the divine life ? I 
answer, certainly. It will be his privilege and 
duty to progress in religion, until, released from 
the cumbrances and besetments of earth, his puri- 
fied spirit shall mingle with the blood-waghed and 
glorified company before the throne. 

The fact that a Christian enjoys all the grace 
to-day that his soul is capable of containing, does 
not at all argue that he may not enjoy more to- 
morrow. The Scriptures teach, and we believe, 
that the Christian life is a life of continual pro- 
gression. Yet it is, doubtless, the Christian's 
privilege, each succeeding day of his life, to pos- 
sess all the grace which God is willing to give 
him, and, consequently, all that it is possible for 



ENCOURAGEMENT TO ASK HOLINESS. 61 

hiin to enjoy. The infant, that receives its nutri- 
ment from its mother's breast, is not capable of 
being fed with strong meat. The youth, whose 
physical constitution is in its adolescent state, is 
not able to perform as much labor as the man 
who has attained the maturity of his strength. 
Neither is the newly-converted soul — the babe in 
Christy-equal to the task of scanning the heights 
and fathoming the depths of Christian experience, 
because he has just entered upon the initial spir- 
itual life. But let him hold fast to his faith, 
let him diligently cultivate the Christian virtues, 
by faithfully improving all the means of grace 
within his reach, and the capacities of his heart 
will expand, his soul will enlarge its powers, his 
Christian character will rise and strengthen from 
its infantile form into giant proportions, until he 
shall stand forth, in all the symmetry, beauty, and 
grandeur of the mature Christian man, "a spec- 
tacle to the world, to angels, and to men." And 
yet the babe in Christ just as truly loves God as 
does the mature and established believer, but he 
does not love him in so great a degree, though he 

may love him as much as he is capable. In the 
6 



62 THE LIVING WAY. 

one case, the strength of the infant is put forth, 
in the other the strength of the strong, muscular 
man. But it is the privilege of the infant, as well 
as the man, to continue to increase in strength, 
and consequently in love, until " this mortal shall 
put on immortality." 

Christian reader, allow me to ask you, Do you 
love God with all your heart ! If you do not, be 
assured you have fallen below the Bible standard 
of holiness. Do you say, this is too high an at- 
tainment for me, I cannot reach unto it? Say 
not so. That saying would impeach the justice 
and veracity of God. God commands you to 
love him with all your heart. You do not believe 
him to be unjust. But it would be unjust in him 
to command you to do what he knew you could 
not do. If you say that you cannot, in your own 
strength, meet this great requirement, then I 
admit you say the truth. You cannot, indeed, 
love him at all without the gracious influences of 
his Spirit to change and renovate your heart, but 
he promises to give the Holy Spirit to them that 
ask him. You cannot plead the w r ant of ability, 
as an excuse for not keeping the commands of 



ENCOURAGEMENT TO ASK HOLINESS. 63 

God fully, when he offers to give you all the 
ability you need. That ability is to be had for 
the asking. " Ask and ye shall receive" is the 
language with which God addresses you. Are 
you not, then, culpable, if you neglect to do the 
will of God? 0, fly again to the cross, ask for 
more grace, and never rest until you feel that you 
love God with all your heart, with all your soul, 
with all your mind, and with all your strength. 

But what motives are there to induce the 
Christian believer to ask, especially, for the higher 
blessings w r hich the Gospel promises ? There are 
motives almost infinite in their number. Motives 
which come from a thousand sources. Motives 
which pertain to time and to eternity, to earth, to 
hell, and to heaven — which should induce every 
man and woman that bears the Christian name to 
seek, with earnest and unceasing prayer, for all 
the fullness of the Gospel salvation. The be- 
liever's own happiness is a prominent motive. 
To be good is always to be happy ; and, in pro- 
portion as we excel in goodness, we excel in hap- 
piness. God designs that all his creatures, and 
especially all his children, should be happy 5 but 



04 THE LIVING WAY. 

that happiness must be derived from him. No 
created objects can meet the wants of the spirit, 
nor satisfy its inward longings for immortality. 
All the good things of this world are but husks in 
comparison with God. How, then, can the soul 
feed upon them and be satisfied. Impossible ! 
It was designed for the enjoyment of God. From 
a necessity of its own nature, it grasps after the 
infinite, the unseen, and the eternal. The highest 
bliss on earth and the sublimest glory in heaven, 
to which the soul can attain, consist in its union 
with God. The aspirations of the spirit, when 
under the influence of divine grace, are beautifully 
manifested in the following eloquent lines of 
Tupper : 

4i I yearn for realms where faney shall be filled, and the 
ecstasies of freedom shall be felt, 

And the soul reign gloriously, risen to its royal des- 
tinies : 

I look to recognize again, through the beautiful mask 
of their perfection, 

The dear familiar faces I have somewhile loved on 
earth : 

I long to talk, with grateful tongue, of storms and 
perils past, 

And praise the Mighty Pilot that hath steered us safely 
through the rapids ; 



ENCOURAGEMENT TO ASK HOLINESS. 65 

He shall be the focus of it all, the very heart of glad- 
ness, — 

My soul is athirst for God, the God who dwelt in 
man! 

Prophet, priest, and king, the sacrifice, the substitute, 
the saviour, 

Rapture of the blessed in the hunted one of earth, the 
pardoner in the victim ; 

How many centuries of joy concentrate in that 
theme, 

How often a Methuselah might count his thousand 
years and leave it unexhausted. 77 

Such are the breathings of a soul groaning after 
the highest excellence. Fancy's realms are 
sought, freedom and dignity are aspired after, a 
happy reunion with loved but departed friends is 
longed for ; but, after all, God is the chief object 
of desire and of pursuit, all else sinks into nothing- 
ness when compared with him. The misery of 
those, who blindly seek their happiness out of God, 
is thus described by the same author : 

"But behold his reasonable children standing in just 
probation, 
With ears to hear, neglect ; with eyes to see, refuse ; 
They will not have the blessing with the life, the bless- 
ing that enricheth immortality ; 
And look for pleasures out of God, for heaven in life 
alone j 
6* 



60 THE LIVING WAY. 

So they snatch that awful prize, existence void of 

love, 
And, in their darkening exile, make a needful hell of 

self." 

If, then, the soul's highest happiness consists 
in the enjoyment of God, and if, without him, it 
must be miserable, it follows, that, the nearer we 
live to God, the more we know of him, and the 
more we love him, the greater will be our happi- 
ness. And is this a small consideration ? Ought 
not the fact, that in proportion as we are holy we 
shall be happy, inspire the soul with ardor in the 
pursuit of the highest attainable moral excellence. 
And the more so for the reason that the Christian 
must either advance or retrograde, must increase 
or decline in holiness, and, of consequence, in 
happiness. 

Another motive which should incite the Chris- 
tian to seek to be holy is, that the glory of God 
requires it. It is the Christian's duty to glorify 
God in his body and in his spirit, which are 
God's ; but how can he do this fully, while pride, 
anger, love of the world, and other kindred affec- 
tions exist in his heart, and sometimes manifest 
themselves in outward aberrations of the life? 



ENCOURAGEMENT TO ASK HOLINESS. 67 

How much more is God glorified by him whose 
heart and life are entirely regulated and controlled 
by grace, than by him who contents himself with 
a lower and more doubtful state of piety. In the 
galaxy of the visible Church, with what a bright 
lustre are the names of Carvosso, Bramwell and 
Eogers encircled ! And what was it that raised 
them to so high a position among the Church's 
worthies, and made them such burning and shin- 
ing lights ? Was it position, wealth, learning, or 
great natural endowments ? No, none of these ; 
but it was the power of divine grace alone. Of 
that grace they had a large experience. By 
yielding up their hearts fully to its sanctifying 
and saving influences, they were made to show 
forth, in an eminent degree, the praises of him 
who had called them out of darkness into his 
marvelous light. And what a potent influence 
for good have they exerted upon the race. By 
their bright Christian example, how many have 
been attracted to the Saviour! Through their 
untiring efforts and fervent zeal, how many souls 
have been rescued from the jaws of eternal 
destruction and raised to the glories and felicities 



GS THE LIVING WAY. 

of the heavenly state. The amount of good 
which these comparatively obscure but devoted 
individuals have accomplished, cannot be justly 
estimated until it is made manifest in the reveal- 
ings of the future world. And what numbers are 
there in the Church now, who exert but little in- 
fluence in favor of religion, who, had they been 
as devoted and faithful, might have been as holy 
and as useful as were these eminent Christians. 
And how much more then would God have been 
glorified in them, and how much more would the 
Church and the world have been benefited by 
them. The demand, now, for men and women of 
deep and earnest piety, is urgent and pressing. 
God from his throne commands, " be ye holy." 
The Church is uttering its sad complaint, and 
faltering in its progress, because of the worlclliness 
and sluggishness of its members. The world is 
groaning under the burden of its sin and ruin, and, 
by its very wickedness and wretchedness, is call- 
ing loudly and unceasingly for men of God to 
come to its rescue. 

And where are the devoted Christians to re- 
spond to this call ? There are many, it is true, 



ENCOURAGEMENT TO ASK HOLINESS. 69 

in the Church, who are awake and in earnest, and 
who are ready to lay themselves out in the Lord's 
work ; but it must be confessed, though with 
shame, that a large proportion of those who pro- 
fess religion, are sadly defective both in their 
experience and practice, and are doing but little, 
compared with what they should do, for the sal- 
vation of the world. Christian reader, is this 
your case? Are you living beneath your privi- 
lege ? Are you failing to act faithfully your part, 
in the great strife that is now ensuing between 
the powers of darkness and the children of light ? 
If so, rouse yourself, shake off the lethargy that 
enfeebles your spirit, and manfully meet the sub- 
lime responsibilities that are now devolving upon 
you. If you do this, you may expect God to be 
glorified in you and by you ; but, if you do not, 
tremble, lest the cause of the Kecleemer suffer 
from your unfaithfulness and neglect. 

That the reader may be able to form a some- 
what definite idea of the vastness of the work 
that is yet to be accomplished by Christ 7 s 
militant hosts, he will do well to consider that, 
"of the 1,000,000,000 inhabitants of the globe, 



70 THE LIVING WAY. 

030,000,000 are sitting in pagan darkness, the 
remaining 370,000,000 being divided between the 
Mohammedans, Greek, Jewish, Armenian, Eoman 
Catholic and Protestant Churches. 1 ' Of the 
seventy millions who are called Protestants, how 
comparatively few are experimental Christians. 
What an almost illimitable field for the Church 
to cultivate ; and how can it ever be successfully 
cultivated, unless the professed followers of Jesus 
engage with all their energies in the great work 
committed to their hands. And, in order to this, 
a deep and thorough inward experience of the 
power of godliness is essential. Without this, 
every effort, if not misdirected, will be feeble, 
and no signal success can be rationally expected. 
O, how greatly the Church needs to be baptized 
with the Holy Ghost and with fire, and to be 
clothed with the beautiful garments of salvation. 
How should every Christian long and pray for 
the full realization of the love of Christ! Deep 
and extraordinary spirituality is the mark at which 
every believer should aim, and, unless this is done, 
God cannot be properly glorified in his people, 
and the Church must falter in its efforts to ac- 



ENCOURAGEMENT TO ASK HOLINESS. 71 

complish its great and glorious mission, which is 
the evangelization and salvation of the whole 
world. 

The last motive we shall urge, as a reason why 
Christians should seek for the largest blessings 
which the Gospel promises, is the certainty of 
success. In this glorious pursuit there is no clan- 
ger of failure. Let a person engage in what else 
he may, and uncertainty generally frowns upon 
his path ; but let him engage, with an earnest and 
determined spirit, in the pursuit of holiness, and 
certainty challenges him forward to the goal. 
The language of the eternal, unchangeable Saviour 
is, " Ask and ye shall receive ;" and, as though 
he would rebuke his people for the scantiness of 
their askings, and raise their aspirations to the 
highest pitch, he says unto them, " hitherto ye 
have asked nothing, ask largely, that your joy 
may be full." Then it is only to ask and re- 
ceive, and possess an unutterable fullness of joy. 
0, what could be more inspiring, more encour- 
aging ; and, with such encouragement, is it possible 
that any lover of Jesus will fail to put forth the 
requisite effort to rise to the sublime st heights of 



72 THE LIVING WAY. 

Christian enjoyment, or to sink in the beauty of 
humility at the Redeemer's feet, with a heart all 
in harmony with the will of God? 0, that all 
the Church might be induced to claim the pos- 
session of its high and glorious blood-bought pri- 
vileges. 

Suppose some great prijze, say a million of dol- 
lars, were offered to almost any man of the world, 
on the condition that he, for a few weeks or 
months, should deny himself his ordinary gra- 
tifications and indulgences, and subject himself 
to severe and menial toil. With a certainty of 
obtaining the prize, I doubt if there is scarcely a 
man possessing the requisite physical ability but 
would comply with the condition. And can it 
be, then, that, when that which is of infinitely 
more value than all the treasures of earth is 
offered, with the utmost certainty, to all who will 
deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow 
Christ, so few pay any practical regard to it. 
Alas ! that so many, who profess to be Christians, 
should seem to place, practically, at least, a higher 
estimate upon the perishing things of earth than 
upon those things which pertain to the endless 



ENCOURAGEMENT TO ASK HOLINESS. 73 

welfare of the soul. Christian reader, do you see 
the prize held out before you, the prize of holiness 
here and of glory hereafter? It Is for you— 
will you grasp it? If you will, you may possess 
yourself of it. If you seek, you shall find. 
There is no equivocation here. All is yea and 
amen in Christ Jesus to them that believe. It 
may be said, there are obstacles in the way of the 
attainment of a better and higher Christian ex- 
perience. Suppose there are— shall you therefore 
content yourself in a state of supineness, or shall 
you rather breast these obstacles and manfully 
overcome them % What excellence is ever attained 
without effort? And can heaven— a heaven of 
infinite and eternal blessedness— be gained with- 
out toil ? No. He that would reign must fight. 
He that would enjoy the honors of the conqueror 
must endure the dangers and toils of the conflict. 
Up, then, Christian, and face the difficulties that 
obstruct your path ! They may seem formidable, 
but the grace of God is sufficient to enable you to 
overcome them. Success is waiting to crown 
your efforts. Press forward, and the prize is 
yours. God grant that both writer and reader 



7 



74 THE LIVING WAY. 

may seek earnestly, believingly, and unceasingly 
for all that the Gospel makes our privilege to en- 
joy. Then shall we have great peace in the pre- 
sent life, and a far more exceeding and eternal 
weight of glory in that which is to come. 



CHAPTEE V. 

THE TEST OF LOVE. 
" If ye love me, keep my commandments." 

A Eussian nobleman was once traveling in the 
interior of Eussia. It was at a season of the 
year in which travelers were liable to be attacked 
by ferocious wolves that infested that country. 
As night began to approach, he halted at an inn, 
and the innkeeper told him of the danger he 
would encounter by going further that night, and 
entreated him to remain until the morning ; but 
the nobleman determined to proceed to the next 
station, where he intended to spend the night. 
Inside the carriage with him, were his wife and an 
only daughter. On the box of the carriage was a 
serf, who had been born on the nobleman's estate, 
and who was devotedly attached to his master. 
For a time they pursued their journey with- 



76 THE LIVING WAY. 

out any apparent signs of danger ; but presently 
they heard the sound of wolves, and, as they ap- 
proached nearer, the nobleman said to his servant : 
" The wolves, I fear, are after us. Make haste. 
Tell the man to drive faster, and get your pistols 
ready." They traveled faster, but the wolves 
soon came up behind them. The nobleman and 
servant each fired their pistols, and two wolves 
fell. The others immediately set upon them and 
devoured them, and in the mean time the carriage 
moved forward. But the taste of blood only 
seemed to whet their appetite, and in a short time 
they were again up with the carriage. The pis- 
tols were again fired, and two more wolves fell, 
and were devoured as before ; but the carriage 
was soon overtaken again, and the post-house was 
yet distant. The nobleman then ordered one of 
the horses to be loosed and turned out, thinking 
by this means to keep in advance of the wolves. 
But the horse was devoured, and the wolves were 
soon again up with the carriage. Another horse 
was loosed, and shared the same fate, and the 
wolves again hastened on after the travelers. 
Before they came up the last time, the serf, who 



THE TEST OF LOVE. 77 

was on the box of the carriage, spoke to the 
nobleman, and said: "I have served you ever 
since I was a child. I love you as my own self. 
Nothing now can save you but one thing. Let 
me save you. I ask you only to look after my 
wife and little ones. The nobleman remonstrated, 
but the servant persisted in his purpose, and when 
the wolves next came up, he threw himself among 
them. The horses moved rapidly onward with 
the carriage, and they just entered with it within 
the gates of the post-house as the wolves were on 
the point of making another and fatal attack. 
The next morning the travelers went out and saw 
the place where the faithful servant had been 
pulled down by the wolves. Only his bones were 
there ; and on that spot the nobleman erected a 
wooden pillar, on which was written : " Greater 
love hath no man than this, that a man lay down 
his life for his friends." 

Here we have a manifestation of love, and a 
striking illustration of its power. This servant 
loved his master, and, because of the love he bore 
him, he voluntarily sacrificed his own life to save 

the life of his master. And love, where it exists, 

7* 



78 THE LIVING WAY. 

must manifest itself if opportunity offers. The 
great love of this servant for his master may have 
been unknown to the latter, until this occasion for 
the manifestation of it occurred. Then it revealed 
itself in the strongest and most affecting light. 
And if we cherish a genuine affection for a 
companion or friend, do we not, when occasion 
serves, feel a disposition to display our love, to 
give proof of it? And does it not afford us plea- 
sure to find occasions when we may, without 
embarrassment, give evidence of our attachment 
and esteem ! And if we really love God, is it not 
reasonable to expect that we will, in some way, 
manifest our love to him? This God expects of 
us, and with the greatest reason. If a man were 
to profess a peculiar regard for you, would you 
not expect him to give you some proof of it? 
And would you not think such an expectation 
reasonable and right? And so God expects us 
to give evidence of our love to him, by obeying 
his commandments. No man can be a Christian 
without keeping the commands of God, and the 
keeping of these commandments is the best and 
most tangible evidence of our love. " The love 



THE TEST OF LOVE, 79 

of God," says Richard Watson,* " can only be 
made manifest and proved by our obedience to 
his moral commands ; and where that is, in the 
true extent, and as arising from right principles, 
the other cannot be wanting p. e. love]. Nor is 
this a proof to others only ; it is the best proof 
to ourselves, since we thus know, and, perhaps, 
only thus fully know, whether we truly love God, 
or are under the influence of a mere inoperative 
sentiment and emotion." 

As we are furnished so frequently, in the New 
Testament, with tests by which we may try the 
genuineness of our religion, it would be well for 
professed Christians often to examine themselves 
by these tests, as, by so doing, their assurance of 
the reality of the work of grace in them will be 
strengthened, and they will be likely to be saved 
from the fearful delusion of taking " a mere inope- 
rative sentiment and emotion" for religion, with- 
out the essential and more tangible evidences of 
piety, which are exhibited in the fruits or conduct 
of the life. Emotions are generally uncertain and 
changeable ; so that, if we depend upon our feel- 

* See Watson's Exposition, Matt xix., 18. 



SO THE LIVING WAY. 

ings alone, as evidences of our religious safety, 
we shall often be in the dark. Nevertheless, 
feeling is not to be undervalued. Love, joy, and 
peace, as emotions of the soul, exist more or less 
in every renewed heart. They constitute much 
of the Christian's inward comfort and happiness. 
No outward forms may in anywise be substituted 
for them. But, where they are real, they will 
lead their possessor to bring forth " fruit unto 
holiness." The love of God in the heart is the 
main-spring of all outward acts of righteousness, 
and, where that does not exist, the commands of 
Christ will not, cannot be properly obeyed. Love, 
then, that is, true religion, must manifest itself in 
Christian obedience ; and where that obedience is 
not to be seen, there that love, whatever may 
be the character or professions of him who as- 
sumes its possession, does not dwell. 

We desire to present the subject we are con- 
sidering, in as plain a light as possible, that we 
may, if God will, render some assistance to such 
professed Christians as may desire to test the genu- 
ineness of their love by the great criterion which 
Christ has given, which is, "If ye love me, keep 



THE TEST OF LOVE. 81 

my commandments ;" and we shall therefore 
notice this love in some of its essential and char- 
acteristic manifestations. And, 1. When an 
individual truly loves God, that love will be 
manifested by strict conscientiousness. It would 
not, perhaps, be right to say that every conscien- 
tious man is a Christian, yet we shall be fully 
safe in saying that a man who is not conscien- 
tious is assuredly no Christian. Look at two 
parties who have existed long upon terms of en- 
mity. By some means or other they lose their 
feelings of hatred, and become reconciled. Cast- 
ing aside all former prejudices, each embraces the 
other as a brother beloved. Mark their conduct 
after such a reconciliation has taken place, and 
see with what scrupulous care each regards the 
feelings and interests of the other. How they 
dread to offend each other. How eager are they to 
manifest a disposition to oblige and please. And 
how much more must a desire to please God, and a 
scrupulous fear of offending him manifest itself in 
those who have once been enemies, but have now 
become reconciled to God. The remembrance 
of their past sins is grievous unto them. But the 



82 THE LIVING WAY. 

thought of sinning again, of again displeasing 
God, and of incurring his displeasure, is of all 
other thoughts most unpleasant and painful. 
Sooner than "become what they formerly were, 
transgressors of God's law, they would willingly 
die. This is love — love that is stronger than 
death. The man who thus loves God, will see 
the purity and exceeding broad requirements of 
the divine law. He will observe its bearings, not 
only upon the more prominent parts of his con- 
duct, but also upon the thoughts and intents of 
his heart, and the minor actions of his life, and, 
desiring to be governed by that law, he will en- 
deavor to regulate his thoughts, control his 
motives, and order his whole deportment accord- 
ing to its claims. 

Wherever such a person is, in whatever he may 
be engaged, in whatever circumstances he may be 
placed, the will of God will be his supreme law. 
If he possess leisure, he will endeavor to improve 
it to the divine glory. In all his recreations and 
amusements, in all his up-risings and down-sit- 
tings, his out-goings and in-comings, he will seek 
to please God. If he be a person whose duty ii 



THE TEST OF LOVE. 83 

is to toil for his, daily bread, he will carry his re- 
ligion with him to his work, and seek to glorify 
God in his toils. If he be a professional man, or 
a tradesman, he will take the precepts of Christ 
with him into his professional engagements, and 
his business avocations, and in everything those 
precepts will be adhered to with the truest fidelity. 
It is strange how any can entertain the hope that 
they are Christians, when, to a great extent, con- 
science is set aside. They can cheerfully make a 
good bargain, even if it be at the disadvantage of 
their neighbor. They can spend their precious 
time in following the vanities and in imitating 
the follies of the world, without giving evidence 
of any inward compunctions. They can while 
away the sacred hours of the Sabbath in the 
society of the jovial and trifling, and in recreating 
and feasting themselves, when it should be spent 
in a manner that would comport w T ith its holy 
character and design. The sanctuary is deserted, 
the Bible neglected, and the closet is a strange 
place to them, while the claims of company and 
of pleasure receive their utmost attention. 

It is not thus with the conscientious Christian. 



84 THE LIVING WAY. 

He regards his tiine as a precious boon, given him 
by God, and he endeavors to use it as a talent for 
which he must give an account. He cannot, 
therefore, afford to spend it in pursuing trifles, or 
in doing that which would be of no service to 
himself or his fellows ; for, as his object is to 
glorify God in his body and in his spirit, so he 
would endeavor to fill up the measure of his days 
with usefulness. With regard to his business 
transactions, he acts according to the principles 
of justice and equity, and from these he will on 
no account depart. Sooner than take the advan- 
tage of the ignorance or weakness of his fellows, 
to advance his own mercenary interests, he would 
suffer the loss of all that he possesses ; and the 
Sabbath — that, with him, is the day of days. 
He prizes it not merely because it is a day of rest — 
a day of relief from the engrossing cares and ex- 
hausting toils of his secular calling, but more 
especially because it is a day set apart to pur- 
poses of religion and devotion. In the enjoyment 
of its retirement and quiet, he can direct his mind 
heavenward, and dwell upon those delightful and 
inspiring themes which form the basis of his hopes 



THE TEST OF LOVE. 85 

and the essence of his joy. He also loves to re- 
pair to the sanctuary, where God is worshiped^ 
and the Gospel of his grace is preached. The 
Bible, too, and the privileges of the closet are 
duly prized and enjoyed by him. And no society 
nor pleasures does he seek or desire but such as 
are congenial with the enlightened tastes and 
holy dispositions of his renewed mind. 

But the man who loves God also exercises a 
conscientious care over the thoughts of his heart., 
The ; Psalmist said : " I hate vain thoughts." He 
also prayed that the meditations of Ms heart, as 
well as the words of his mouth, might be accepta- 
ble in the sight of him who was his strength and 
his Bedeemer. It is possible for an individual to 
be a great sinner, and yet not be guilty of any 
overt transgression ; or, at least, to not be out- 
wardly immoral. Thoughts, desires, and purposes 
of the most impure and diabolical kind may fill 
the mind, without ever being developed in the 
life, and sins of the gravest character may be 
committed in the secret chambers of the heart. 
Christ teaches us that a man may be even an 

adulterer without committing the actual crime, 
8 



86 THE LIVING WAY. 

and it is certain that a person may cherish feel- 
ings of hatred, revenge, pride, and love of the 
world, all of which are inimical to vital religion, 
and yet be apparently conscientious and upright 
in his outward deportment. What wisdom is 
there in the command, "Keep thy heart with all 
diligence, for out of it are the issues of life." The 
heart is the source from whence evil proceeds. 
That must be carefully guarded, or religion can- 
not prosper in the soul. All unholy imaginations 
must be suppressed, all wrong feelings and desires 
must be crushed at their birth, or the love of 
Christ cannot dwell in the heart. But it may be 
asked, " Can evil thoughts be prevented from en- 
tering the mind?" It is not probable that we 
shall ever attain to such a degree of purity as 
that sinful thoughts will not be injected into the 
mind, but it is our privilege and duty to banish 
them as soon as they are injected. They may 
frequently enter without any volition on our part, 
and, when that is the case, we are not chargeable 
with any guilt for their entrance ; but, if we cher- 
ish and indulge them, we become guilty in the 
sight of God. I find the following passage from 



THE TEST OF LOVE. 87 

the pen of the late Dr. Alexander, which is ap- 
posite to the point we have been considering. He 
says : " You must watch against everything in 
your heart or life which has a tendency to grieve 
the Spirit of God. Of what account is it to pray, 
if you indulge evil thoughts and imaginations 
almost without control, or if you give way to the 
evil passions of anger, envy, pride, and avarice^ 
or bridle not your tongue from evil speaking? 
Learn to be conscientious — that is, obey the 
dictates of your conscience uniformly. Many are 
conscientious in some things and not in others ; 
they listen to the monitor within, when he directs 
to important duties, but, in smaller matters, they 
often disregard the voice of conscience, and follow 
present inclination. Such cannot grow in grace." 
The monitions, then, of conscience should bo 
heeded in all things. Every thought, word, and 
act should be brought to the test of God's re- 
vealed will. In everything that we do, the inquiry 
should be, Will this please God! Will it be in. 
accordance with the teachings of his Word I And 
whatever is thus found to be contrary to his will, 
no matter how trifling it may seem, must be 



88 THE LIVING WAY. 

steadily and resolutely shunned, or else the love 
of the Saviour will decay in the heart. Christian 
reader, are you conscientious ? Do you endeavor 
to make the will of God the rule of your conduct 
in all things I In things small as well as great, are 
you habitually governed by the principles of the 
religion which you profess? To these and simi- 
lar questions you will do well to pay frequent 
attention, remembering that, if you truly love 
Christ, you will give evidence of your love by a 
faithful observance of all his commands. 

2. Love to God will manifest itself by a spirit 
of universal benevolence. The religion of Christ 
is a benevolent religion. In this respect, it 
greatly differs from all the other kinds of religion 
which have sought and gained the notice of the 
world. They have uniformly been selfish in their 
character, and have aimed at selfish ends. Not 
so with the Christian religion. It is the very op- 
posite to selfishness, both in its nature and in its 
requirements. It recognizes one principle as its 
great central and motive principle, and that prin- 
ciple is love. This principle lies at the founda- 
tion of all genuine Christianity, and is a distin- 



THE TEST OF LOVE. 89 

guishing characteristic of every true follower of 
Christ. How great is the transformation which 
divine grace produces in the human heart. Natu- 
rally, it is selfish — thoroughly selfish ; it seeks its 
own and not another's good. Selfishness is its 
controlling principle — its propelling motive. For 
self it lives, for self it acts ; but, when it is 
brought under the renewing influence of the 
Holy Spirit, how greatly is it changed. It not 
only has new veiws, but it has new affections. 
Its old selfish nature is crucified, and, obedient to 
the dictates of love, it would fain embrace the 
whole world in its arms of holy affection. It 
longs for the welfare of others, and seeks their 
happiness with as much ardor and diligence as it 
before sought its own advantage. 

A bright example of this is furnished in the 
case of the Apostle Paul. Previous to his con- 
version, he was deeply devoted to self, and cher- 
ished the most bitter and cruel hatred against the 
infant Church of Christ ; but, after he was con- 
verted, how different was the spirit which he 
manifested. Sacrificing all his prospects of 

worldly emolument, and turning a deaf ear to the 

8* 



90 THE LIVING WAY.* 

alluring voices of ease and sense, he devotes 
himself unreservedly to the Bedeemer's cause. 
Henceforth his life must be a scene of severe toil, 
excessive privation, and almost uninterrupted 
persecution; but joyfully he accepts the portion, 
exclaiming, " Yea, doubtless, and I count all 
things but loss for the excellency of the knowl- 
edge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have 
suffered the loss of all things, and do count 
them but dung that I may win Christ." And 
ever after, until he won the crown of martyrdom, 
his motto was : " Neither count I my life dear 
unto myself, so that I may finish my course with 
joy, and the ministry which I have received of 
the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace 
of God." And what was it that induced the 
Apostle to make such sacrifices, and to welcome 
so much toil and pain ! It was the love of Christ. 
That love dwelt richly in him. It displayed 
itself in a spirit of true Christian benevolence. It 
prompted him to seek the world's highest good. 
For the spiritual and eternal welfare of men, he 
lived and labored, suffered and died. 

And in what respects is Christianity different 



THE TEST OF LOVE. 91 

mow from what it was in the Apostle's days ? 
Has it undergone any essential modifications or 
changes ? 0, no ! it is still the same ; the same 
in its nature, the same in its effects. Like its 
Author, it changes not. And does not the spirit 
of Paul manifest itself in Christians at the present 
day? Are there not those now living, who, by 
their conduct, declare that they count not their 
lives dear unto themselves, who give conclusive 
evidence that they count all things but loss for 
the excellency of the knowledge of Christ % Yes, 
thank God ! there are such now in the Christian 
Church. The spirit of apostolic Christianity is 
still extant in the world. Men and women still 
sacrifice ease, pleasure, wealth, and honor, sever 
strong earthly ties, and break away from fond 
endearments, to go to distant and perilous lands 
to seek the salvation of deathless souls. 

But it is not for all to manifest their love in 
this way. It is not the design of God that all 
should be missionaries, neither is it his will that 
all should be public preachers of religion. But it 
is his will that all his people should possess a 
benevolent and self-sacrificing spirit — a spirit 



92 THE LIVING WAY. 

akin to that which dwelt in the Saviour when he 
left his heavenly abode to bear the world's sin 
in his own body on the tree. And such a spirit, 
in a greater or less degree, they all possess. A 
spirit which prompts them to ask : " Lord, what 
wilt thou have me to do V and inspires them with a 
disposition to run with cheerfulness in the path 
of duty, when that path is once plainly discerned 
by them. But, however different in themselves 
may be the various srjheres of Christian labor and 
usefulness in which it is the duty of Christ's peo- 
ple to engage, and however diversified may be 
their qualifications and resources for distinguish- 
ing themselves in those spheres, it is certain that 
every follower of Jesus has a work committed to 
his trust — a work for the performance of which 
he will be held accountable to his God. 

I can scarcely conceive of such a thing as an 
inactive Christian — a Christian who does nothing 
for the good of others. Men and women are 
everywhere perishing in their sins — Christ alone 
tfan save them. But, ordinarily, he does not 
save them without human agency. He~~ calls 
upon his disciples to exert that agency. To each 



THE TEST OF LOVE. 93 

of them he says : " Son, go work to-day in my 
vineyard." And no one can disobey that com- 
mand without endangering the interests of his 
soul. And who can tell the amount of good 
which the humblest Christian might be the instru- 
ment of accomplishing. If he cannot preach, or 
write, he can present to men an example of piety, 
and the influence of a bright religious example is 
often more potent for good than even sermons or 
precepts. Occasions often occur when he can 
drop a word of warning or entreaty into the ears 
of the ungodly, or counsel the serious-minded, or 
speak words of comfort and encouragement to the 
•penitent mourner in Zion. He can visit the hovel 
of poverty, and the chamber of affliction, and ad- 
minister to their inmates the consolations of reli- 
gion. He can help sustain, by his contributions, 
the financial interests of the Church, and aid in 
-spreading the light of truth through the earth, 
and he can at all times give the. cause of Christ 
the benefit of his sympathies and prayers. These, 
when they are performed in a right spirit and 
from proper motives, are benevolent works, and 
indicate the existence of a principle in the heart 



94 THE LIVING WAY. 

which is not of natural origin — a principle which 
could only be produced there by the Spirit of 
him whose nature is love. My dear reader, are 
you benevolent? Have you a heart that can feel 
for another's woe 1 Do you find pleasure in do- 
ing good? Does your heart prompt you to seek, 
in every possible way, the divine glory in the wel- 
fare of souls ? Think what a heart the Saviour 
possessed — a heart that longed for the world's 
salvation, and to gain which, he freely yielded up 
his own life. You profess to be his follower, to 
partake of his spirit, to walk even as he also 
walked. See to it, then, that you cast no re- 
proach upon your profession, nor upon your Sa- 
viour. Yield yourself up fully to the claims of 
love. Then may you go before your brethren 
and say, Follow me, even as I follow Christ. 

I cannot feel willing to dismiss this subject, 
without alluding to that spirit of selfishness which 
manifests itself in the conduct of many professed 
Christians in the form of covetousness. A 
covetous man is an idolater, and how can an 
idolater be a Christian u ? Impossible ! As well 
might darkness resolve itself into iight. " Love 



THE TEST OF LOVE. 95 

not the world, neither the things that are in the 
world," is the authoritative command of inspira- 
tion. " Set your affections on things above, and 
not on things on the earth," is another of its spir- 
itual injunctions. How, then, can a man be 
devoted to the world and yet walk in the favor of 
God? How can he cling with so fond an attach- 
ment to his wealth as to exclude the benevolent 
claims of religion, or to meet them with a grudg- 
ing response at best, and yet possess the Spirit of 
Christ in his heart ? It cannot be. The infal- 
lible word declares-—" If any man love the world, 
the love of the Father is not in him." And yet 
how many such professors are there in the Church ? 
Men who cast discredit upon the cause of Chris- 
tianity by their guilty avarice. They are the 
worshipers of Mammon, and most willingly do 
they bend at his shrine. How have I been pained, 
during my short ministerial life, in seeing Church 
members who generally would seem to possess a 
good degree of zeal in the cause of Christ, when 
they were not appealed to for pecuniary assistance, 
but, as soon as they were invited to contribute of 
their substance, to aid the cause they professed 



96 THE LIVING WAY. 

to love, they would shrink back, as though som<s 
strange phantom had suddenly started up before 
their vision. This is wrong, exceedingly wrong. 
It betrays a selfish, avaricious spirit. It shows a 
fearful want of conformity to that Divine com- 
mand which says — " Honor the Lord with thy 
substance, and with the first fruits of all thine in- 
crease." I can hardly think of anything more 
inconsistent than a mean, stingy, miserly man, 
who attempts to lay claim to the Christian charac- 
ter. To all those purer and higher delights which 
flow from the exercise of a benevolent spirit, he is 
an utter stranger. He has no sympathy with 
that heavenly charity which seeks another's wel- 
fare even at its own expense. He knows nothing 
of the tranquil bliss and serene joy of him who 
said, " When the ear heard me then it blessed me, 
and when the eye saw me it gave witness to me, 
because I delivered the poor that cried, and the 
fatherless, and him that had none to help him, 
the blessing of him that was ready to perish came 
upon me, and I caused the widow's heart to sing 
for joy." 

Eeader, fancy to yourself a young and delicate 



THE TEST OF LOVE. 97 

woman, sitting by her window diligently and 
patiently toiling with her needle. Day after day 
she may be seen there, cheerfully plying her ac- 
customed task, and, even after the face of nature 
has become darkened with the drapery of night, 
she might be found industriously engaged, by her 
night lamp, with her w r ork. The time she can 
obtain from household employment and social 
duties, she employs in this way, with the exception 
of a reasonable season which is spent in her secret 
devotions and in cultivating her mind. And for 
what purpose, do you think, she is thus employed ? 
Is it that she may ornament her person, or enlarge 
her pecuniary resources ? Not altogether. But 
she is the only child of her parents. She lives 
with them, a devoted and affectionate daughter. 
They are in moderate circumstances. Her means, 
for the gratification of her benevolent impulses, 
are slender ; and, in order to be able to contri- 
bute to the greatest possible extent, toward pro- 
tecting from the severity of the blasts and cold of 
winter the poor and unfortunate who abound in 
our large cities, she faithfully labors, during her 

spare moments, in the manner we have seen. A 
9 



98 THE LIVING WAY. 

suitable portion of the proceeds of that labor is 
appropriated to the relief of the destitute and the 
comfort of the wretched. This is not an imaginary 
picture. I am personally acquainted with the 
lady I have described. I have endeavored to 
evoke her image before you, reader, for the pur- 
pose of giving you a practical exemplification of 
the truth, that where the spirit of true benevolence 
dwells in a human bosom, it prompts its possessor 
to do what can be done, consistent with the means 
and opportunities enjoyed, to still the convulsive 
throbbings of the great suffering heart of humanity. 
How great is the number of those who, from for- 
tune's sad reverses, suffer the deepest earthly 
woe? In our large commercial cities, especially 
in the cold season of the year, the wails of sorrow 
may be daily and hourly heard. Here the blighted 
children of misfortune generally congi egate. And 
can a Christian man behold these scenes of 
wretchedness without 'feeling his heart stirred 
within him, and without endeavoring, to the ex- 
tent of his opportunity, to mitigate the misery 
which presents itself before his sight ? Yet there 
are those, possessing w r ealth, who profess to love 



THE TEST OF LOVE. 99 

God ; and, of consequence, their neighbor as 
themselves, who will not listen, with any degree 
of patience, to the appeals of those whose pressing 
necessities demand instant relief. I see not how 
such can be Christ's disciples ; for " whoso hath 
this world's goods, and seeth his brother have 
need, and shutteth his bowels of compassion from 
him, how dwelleth the love of God in him'?" 

A certain writer says : " Looking over the 
printed but unpublished memorial of a dear friend, 
whose face we never saw in the flesh, but who 
gave tens of thousands to colleges, hospitals, and 
various charities, we found several entries like the 
following: 'January 1, 1849 — I adopted the 
practice, ten years ago, of expending my income. 
My outgoes, since the first of January, 1842, have 
been upward of four hundred thousand dollars, 
and my property, on the first of this year, is as 
great as on January 1, 1842 — The more I give 
the more I have.' Again, 'January 1, 1852 — 
The outgoes for all objects since January 1, 
1842 — ten years — have been six hundred and four 
thousand dollars — more than five-sixths of which 
have been applied in making other people happy !' 



100 THE LIVING WAY. 

Here is an example of reproductive profusion — 
* The more I give the more I get' — scattering, 
yet increasing. And, along with the increase of 
substance, what is still rarer and more precious 
the increase of personal felicity. Instead of scat- 
tering, had he concentrated all this outlay on 
himself, had he spent the half million on dainty 
viands and costly wines, on sumptuous furniture 
and glittering vehicles, he would have done no 
more than many do, on whose care-worn, dissat- 
isfied countenances God has inscribed the curse 
of self-idolatry ; but, by spending it in an effort 
to make other people happy, Amos Lawrence ex- 
tended the sphere of his enjoyment as wide as 
the objects of his philanthropy, and, in his shin- 
ing face, he habitually showed that God had given 
him the blessedness of a man for whom many 
prayed, and whom he himself greatly loved." 

There is something sublime and glorious in the 
life of such a man. What a bright and beautiful 
radiance does the light of such an example shed 
upon the race. He lived not merely for himself, 
but for others ; or, rather, while he lived for 
others, he lived in the best possible manner for 



THE TEST OF LOVE. 101 

himself. How many broken hearts he bound up, 
how many wounded spirits he healed, and into 
how many distressed souls he poured the balm 
of consolation, none but he, who beholds all 
such acts of mercy with an approving eye, can 
tell. And he not only, while living, poured from 
the fountain of his benevolent spirit streams of 
gladness and peace, to flow out among men, but 
he also established, and set in motion, agencies 
which will continue to bless humanity, probably 
for ages to come. And why are there no more 
who are willing to do likewise? Ah! he who 
lives for the welfare of others, and contributes of 
his temporal substance, as is meet, to augment 
the amount of human happiness, is enjoying a 
life of honor and blessedness, such as might 
well be envied by the mightiest conquerors, or the 
greatest monarchs of whpm the world can boast. 
My dear reader, if you make any pretensions to 
religion, may I be permitted to ask you to con- 
sider, deeply and prayerfully, the great question : 
Am I sufficiently benevolent to meet the claims 
of Christian charity? How numerous and im- 
portant are these claims. The Church, of which 
9* 



102 THE LIVING .WAY. 

you are a member, must be sustained, and it is 
your duty first to contribute to its support. The 
missionary enterprise, which is one of the Church's 
greatest engines for usefulness, must not only 
have a place in your sympathies, but must share 
in your liberal benefactions. The other benevo- 
lent institutions of Christianity must find in you 
a cordial and hearty friend and supporter. The 
wants of the destitute and suffering poor are not 
to be disregarded by you, but, out of the abund- 
ance which God has given you, you must appro- 
priate a portion to their relief and comfort. Do 
thus, and your love will be made manifest by your 
acts. The Church will look upon you, not as a 
burdensome member, but as a worthy and useful 
child ; men will learn to love you as their bene- 
factor, and the blessing of him that was ready to 
perish shall come upon you ; and, above all, 
God's blessing and favor shall abide with you ; 
for "God loveth the cheerful giver." 

3. Love to God will manifest itself in love to 
his children. Christ strongly enforced the duty 
of 16ving one another upon his disciples, and, in 
order to make this duty as plain and imperative 



THE TEST OF LOVE. 103 

as his teaching and authority could render it, he 
inculcated it in a special command : " A new 
commandment," said he, " I give unto you — that 
ye love one another ;" and again, " This is my 
commandment, that ye love one another, as I 
have loved you." How strong, deep, and pure, 
then, must be the love with which Christians re- 
gard each other. It is a love like unto that 
which Jesus bore toward the world, when he laid 
down his life to redeem it. The possession of 
this love is one strong evidence of our having 
been adopted into the heavenly family ; for, says 
the apostle John, " We know that we have passed 
from death unto life, because we love the breth- 
ren." This love implies congeniality. How com- 
mon is it for persons, who are engaged in the 
same profession, to feel a stronger regard for each 
other than they do for those who follow a differ- 
ent calling in life. The reasons for this are ob- 
vious. Persons of the same profession are apt to 
be congenial in their tastes and dispositions. 
Their habits, their employments, and their asso- 
ciations, are, to a great extent, similar. Hence, 
it is natural that they should entertain feelings of 



104 THE LIVING WAY. 

peculiar affection for each other. It is particu- 
larly the case with Christians. They are identi- 
fied with the same cause. To a large degree, 
their interests are one. Their dispositions, aims, 
hopes, joys, trials, and struggles, all partake of 
the same character. They love and serve the 
same Master, and they expect to dwell together 
in the same heaven. A spirit of fellowship must, 
therefore, exist between them. They are united 
in Christ, their head, and, next to communion 
with him, they enjoy communion with each other 
— the communion of saints. 

How pleasing is it to Christians to worship 
together, and to converse upon the precious 
things of religion. How are they thus comforted, 
encouraged, and strengthened. It was thus with 
God's people in olden times; for the prophet 
says : " They that feared the Lord, spake often 
one to another, and the Lord hearkened and heard 
it, and a book of remembrance was written before 
him for them that feared the Lord and thought 
upon his name." This love also implies unit//. 
It was the design of Christ that his followers 
should be united ; and, for this purpose, he insti- 



THE TEST OF LOVE. 105 

tuted a Church. The human body has been used 
to represent the Church, arid how beautifully does 
it illustrate the union that exists among be- 
lievers. Each member is united to the body, and 
each receives its nourishment and support from 
the same source ; and, though each member has 
not the same office, yet they all possess a mu- 
tual sympathy and dependence. In the lan- 
guage of the apostle : " The eye cannot say unto 
the hand, I have no need of thee, nor, again, the 
head to the feet, I have no need of you/' It is 
so with the Church. There are many members, 
but they are all united to the same body, which 
is Christ. From him they receive their spiritual 
nutrition ; and as, in the human body, all the 
members exist and operate in perfect harmony, 
so, in the Chiirch, all true believers dwell in bliss- 
ful unity, without jarring discord or strife. When 
Christians truly love each other — and, if they do 
not, they are not Christians — then is there union 
among them. Christian love and unity are in- 
separable companions, and, where the latter is 
not found, the existence of the former may be 
very justly doubted. 



106 THE LIVING WAY. 

Picture to yourself a happy family scene. Or- 
der, unity, and happiness dwell together around 
the same fireside. A mutual regard for each 
other's interests is manifest. No note of discord 
is heard, no war of prejudice is ever waged. Ee- 
verse the picture. Behold a scene of domestic 
misery. Members of the same household are at 
variance with each other — the husband is arrayed 
against the wife, the wife against the husband ; 
the children against the parents, the parents 
against the children. Wrathful bickerings, loud 
tumults, and fierce contentions may be daily wit- 
nessed in that abode of -wretchedness. No light 
enters to gild the scene, no smile ever decorates 
that dungeon of woe. "What is the secret of the 
difference in these two families? Plainly, this: 
In the first family love exists, and, because there 
is love, there is union, and, of consequence, hap- 
piness. In the second, there is no love, and con- 
sequently, no union of feeling ; and, therefore, 
hate, malice, revenge, and other diabolical pas- 
sions reign in the ascendant, and separate those 
whom God and nature designed should not be 
divided. 



THE TEST OF LOVE. 107 

What is true of families is true also of 
churches. See a church where all its members 
love each other. In what harmony do they live. 
How cheering and sanctifying is their fellowship. 
How effectual are their combined efforts in over- 
throwing the strongholds of Satan, and in build- 
ing up the kingdom of the Redeemer. How is 
the ungodly world, in looking upon them, con- 
strained to cry out : " See how these Christians 
love one another !" and how beautifully is the 
language of Scripture exemplified in their con- 
duct : " How sweet and how pleasant it is for 
brethren to dwell together in unity." But, on 
the other hand, witness a church which is rent by 
broils, quarrels, and unholy strifes. How un- 
happy and unsafe are its members — -how pregnant 
with evil is its influence. The world looks on 
and derides, while the Holy Spirit, it is to be 
feared, takes his departure from such scenes of 
wrath and dissension. What is the cause of this 
deplorable state of things? Evidently, the want 
of love. There is no love, and therefore, no 
union in the membership. They are divided, and 
a house divided against itself cannot stand. 0, 



108 THE LIVING WAY. 

how important is Christian love, when viewed in 
its relation to the Church's unity. No church 
can prosper, except its members are united, and 
they cannot be united unless they love each 
other. Charity hides a multitude of sins, it covers 
faults, it buries prejudices, and, with its silken 
cords, it binds into a delightful brotherhood 
those who are governed by its gentle and peace- 
able spirit. How salutary, upon the unconverted, 
is the example of a church which exhibits the 
beauty and excellence of Christian love and 
unity. 

Lord Byron at one time said : "I date my 
first impressions against religion, by having wit- 
nessed how little its votaries were actuated by 
any true feelings of Christian charity." Had he 
witnessed, in professed Christians, a disposition 
to obey that command of Christ, which says, 
" Love one another as I have loved you," he 
might have received very different impressions. 
How much greater is the prosperity of a church, 
when its members are united. If an army were 
attempting to bombard a fortress, they would find 
it necessary to concentrate their fire. If a portion 



THE TEST OF LOVE. 109 

of their shots were directed into the air, and 
another portion in a direction contrary from the 
fortress they were endeavoring to overthrow, they 
would find their attempts useless. 

It is just so with the Church. If she would 
wage successful war against the kingdom of dark- 
ness, she must concentrate her strength, her 
forces must be united, and her onslaughts must 
all be directed against the same foe. Church 
divisions are calculated to greatly impede the 
progress of Christ's cause, and to prejudice the 
world against Christianity. How careful, then, 
should Christians be to love one another with a 
pure heart, fervently. The love which Christ's 
people bear towards each other is not consistent 
with feelings of bigotry. It is a truly catholic 
love. It regards all who love the Lord Jesus 
Christ in sincerity, without respect to condition, 
color, or name. Some professors of religion act 
as though they had but little regard for any of 
God's people except such as are identified with 
their own sect. They seem to care but little 
what becomes of Christians, and Christianity in 

general, so their own church is only honorable 
10 



110 THE LIVING WAY. 

and prosperous. Some, even, appear to be will- 
ing to pull down others for the sake of building 
up themselves. Such dispositions are far from 
being in accordance with the spirit of Christian 
love. 

It may be natural, and even proper, for an in- 
dividual to feel a peculiar regard for that branch 
of the Church with which he is connected, and for 
those to whom he is directly related, by the ties of 
Christian fellowship ; still, if he be a true disciple, 
he will love all Christ's followers, whatever may 
be their outward badges or peculiarities. William 
Jay said that, while he was attached to his own 
regiment, he was not opposed to the whole army ; 
and so will all real Christians feel. The people 
of God on earth are essentially one — one in mind, 
one in heart. They must, therefore, cherish for 
each other a sincere and tender fraternal affection. 
When the Master commanded them to love one 
another as he had loved them, he did not mean 
that they should love those only who belonged 
to their ow r n denomination, but he meant that 
they should love all who possessed his spirit and 
practiced his precepts, whatever might be their 



THE TEST OF LOVE. Ill 

differences of opinion with regard to minor points 
of propriety or doctrine. 

No follower of Christ can cherish or manifest 
feelings of disregard for the meanest disciple, 
without offending the Saviour himself. What 
presents so sad a spectacle as to see professed 
Christians slighting and ill-treating each other ? 
They have been redeemed by the same Saviour, 
they profess to love and serve the same Master, 
and to be seeking the same heaven, and yet they 
turn away from each other with all the coldness 
of prejudice and the haughtiness of pride. Surely, 
such cannot possess much of the spirit of him 
who said, " love one another- as I have loved your 
But how pleasing is it to see the lovers of Jesus 
show, by their conduct, that they truly love one 
another; and how delightful to see them har- 
moniously united in one common brotherhood, 
despite all unimportant differences of opinion, and 
earnestly engaged in advancing the interests of 
the same common and holy cause. Such a scene 
is highly pleasing to Christ, and affords cause for 
delight and joy to the angels of God in heaven. 

Christian reader, do you love the brethren? 



112 THE LIVING WAY. 

Do you love, not merely those whose minds, 
tastes, pursuits, and position are congenial to you, 
but those, also, who rank beneath yourself in 
point of culture, position, and influence 1 Do you 
love, truly and sincerely, those who are attached 
to a different creed from the one you hold, and 
who are connected with another branch of Christ's 
Church ? If you truly love the Saviour, you have 
a true and tender regard for all his followers, 
whatever may be their outward peculiarities or 
circumstances. This love to the people of God 
is a good evidence of your spiritual prosperity. 
" Increasing love to the brethren is a sure sign 
of growth ; for as brotherly love is a proof of the 
existence of grace, so exercising brotherly love is 
of vigor in the divine life. This love, when pure, 
is not confined within those limits which party 
spirit circumscribes ; but, overleaping all the bar- 
riers of sects and denominations, it embraces the 
disciples of Christ wherever it finds them." 

I will close this chapter with the following 
extract from that interesting, and, in many 
respects, excellent work, "Alexander on Eeligious 
Experience." He is giving practical directions 



THE TEST OF LOVE. 113 

how to grow in grace, and, among other things, 
says : " Cultivate and exercise brotherly love 
more than you have been accustomed to do. 
Christ is displeased with many of his professed 
followers because they are so cold and indifferent 
to his members on earth, and because they do so 
little to comfort and encourage them, and with 
some, because they are a stumbling-block to the 
weak of the flock, their conversation and conduct 
not being edifying, but the contrary. Perhaps 
these disciples are poor, and in the lower walks 
of life, and, therefore, you overlook them as be- 
neath you. And thus would you have treated 
Christ himself had you lived in his time ; for he 
took his station among the poor and afflicted, and 
he will resent a neglect of his poor saints with 
more displeasure than he would of the rich. 
Perhaps they do not belong to your party or sect, 
and you are only concerned to build up your own 
denomination. Eemember how Christ conde- 
scended to treat the sinful woman of Samaria, and 
the poor woman of Canaan, and remember what 
account he has given of the last judgment, when 

he will assume to himself all that has been done 
10* 



114 THE LIVING WAY. 

or neglected to be done to his humble followers. 
There should be more Christian co nversation and 
friendly intercourse between the followers of 
Christ. In former days, ' They that feared the 
Lord spake often one unto another, and the Lord 
hearkened and heard it, and a book of remem- 
brance was written for them that feared the Lord 
and thought upon his name.' " 



CHAPTER VI. 

RELIGIOUS CULTURE. 

44 Whatsoever thy hand fmdeth to do, do it with thy might." 

Eeligion does not flourish spontaneously in 
the human soul. As seed planted in a barren 
soil will not grow successfully without careful 
culture, so religion, being a principle directly op- 
posed to the heart's natural dispositions, requires 
sedulous cultivation, in order to its successful 
growth. This spiritual culture is the great work 
of the Christian life. He that would make pro- 
gress in personal piety, must expect to do so 
only by earnest and diligent toil. It would be 
highly agreeable to the husbandman, if his 
ground would bring forth plentiful crops, without 
any care or effort on his part. Yet this is never 
the case. In order to secure a harvest, he must 
labor to prepare the ground; then he must put in 



116 THE LIY'IXG WAY. 

the seed; then he must carefully guard and nurse 
it as it germinates and grows, and, finally, after 
it has ripened, he must gather it into the garner. 
Now, God could cause the earth to produce its 
harvests without any care or effort on the part of 
man, but he sees best not to do it. He makes 
sowing the condition of reaping, and says : " If 
any man will not work, neither shall he eat." 
And this rule applies with the same force to spir- 
itual things as it does to temporal. We are 
commanded to work out our salvation with fear 
and trembling before God, and faithful diligence 
in this work will alone insure the blissful reward 
of eternal life. 

Look at yonder field. It is all overgrown with 
weeds. Good seed was sown upon it, but its 
growth has been prevented by the noxious herbs 
that have grown up among it. Its owner was 
too indolent to cultivate it, and, in consequence, 
he will be disappointed in his expectations of a 
crop at the gathering season. How truly does 
that field, overgrown with weeds, represent many 
who profess to be disciples of Christ. They have 
once had serious impressions, and have realized 



RELIGIOUS CULTURE. 117 

the importance of spiritual things ; they may even 
have once been converted, but, neglecting to 
guard and nourish the precious germ of grace, it 
has become overgrown, if not entirely choked out, 
by the evil passions which thrive so luxuriantly 
in the uncultivated heart. Sloth, with its sooth- 
ing voices, has lulled them to sleep, and, while 
they have slept, an enemy has come and sowed 
tares, and the consequence is, desolation of heart 
and barrenness of soul have come upon them, 
and before them is the fearful prospect of endless 
burnings in the lake of fire. 

Seeing, then, dear reader, that careful and dili- 
gent cultivation of the Christian virtues is the 
only w r ay by which you can expect to be holy 
and happy, the only way, in fact, in which you 
can hope to reach the better world, will you not 
resolve this moment to betake yourself with earn- 
estness to this work, and to never cease your 
endeavors until you hear the Master say, " It is 
enough, come up higher !" In order to cultivate 
religion, a portion of your time must be set apart 
for private devotional exercises. Without this, the 
spiritual life cannot be maintained in the soul 



118 THE LIVING WAY. 

You must have seasons for prayer. You must 
daily retire from the world, from its cares, its 
employments, and its associations, and hold sol- 
emn converse with Jehovah. You must perform 
this duty with all the reverence of an humble 
subject entering into the presence of a great sov- 
ereign, and yet with all the confidence of a child 
rushing into the arms of a tender parent. Some 
professors of religion seem to place a very light 
estimate upon the privilege of prayer. They 
complain that they cannot find time to engage in 
this duty. They have so much to do, so many 
affairs to see after, and so many cares crowd 
upon their minds, that they have but little oppor- 
tunity for communion with God. Well, God, 
doubtless, deals with such according to their own 
practice. If they have so much else to da, that 
they cannot or will not retire to commune with 
him, he will not condescend to bless and help 
them. Such virtually say, " I can get along 
without God ; I have no need to pray, therefore, 
I will give all my time to worldly pursuits, and 
suffer my closet to remain unvisited." Such 
have no right to expect anything but coldness 



RELrGIOUS CULTURE. 119 

and hardness of heart, a comfortless death-bed, 
and a miserable eternity. 

There are others who do not pretend that they 
can dispense with prayer, but who yet seem to 
regard it as an inferior matter. They desire to 
attend to the duty at times, but at only such 
times as will best suit their own convenience. If 
it be convenient to pray once during the day, they 
will do so ; if oftener, they will do so ; but if 
convenience do not serve for them to pray 
more than once or twice, they seem to suffer but 
little compunction of conscience. Now, this is 
very wrong. The duties which religion imposes 
should be regarded as of the first importance. To 
these, everything else should be esteemed as only 
secondary, at best, and these duties should be 
performed, whatever else may be neglected. That 
the duty of prayer may receive due attention, and 
at the same time not conflict with other proper 
engagements, there should be certain seasons de- 
voted to it exclusively. I think that none who 
prize the privilege of prayer should retire less 
than three times a day for this purpose. 

David said, "Evening, and morning, and at 



120 THE LIVING WAY. 

noon will I pray and cry aloud, and he shall hear 
my ¥0106." Daniel prayed three times a day, 
in the face of terrible danger, and if Christians, 
at this day, take sufficient time to refresh their 
bodies, three times in twenty-four hours, with the 
bread that perisheth, they should at least retire in 
secret to obtain spiritual food for their souls as 
often. In all ages of the Church, men and wo- 
men who have been eminent for piety have been 
distinguished by their love of prayer, and by the 
constancy and frequency with which they have 
engaged in the devotions of the closet, and a sys- 
tematic and regular course of conduct, with re- 
gard to this duty, if practiced, cannot fail to 
result in great and precious blessings. If the 
closet be not visited at frequent and stated sea- 
sons, there is danger of its being much neglected, 
and this is, doubtless, one great cause of the sad 
lack of spiritual life and power in many profess- 
ors in the Church at the present day. It may 
I>e objected by some, that their circumstances and 
secular engagements are such as that they can- 
not find opportunity for such frequent retirement ; 
but, if they would only economize time, avoid 



RELIGIOUS CULTURE. 121 

trifling conversation and amusements, and exer- 
cise a little forecast, they would probably be no 
more opposed by this formidable impediment. 
In the memoirs of the devoted and eloquent 
Summerfleld, the following resolution, which he 
adopted, is recorded: "As I believe no growth 
in grace will take place unless there be regular 
and stated seasons for private prayer. I purpose 
attending to three such seasons at least : before 
I leave my room in the morning, before I retire 
in the evening, and at twelve o'clock at mid-day, 
be where I may, this must be attended to, and I 
must go home to perform it, as if to meet any 
other person." Well would it be, for many 
Christians, if they were to be governed by a simi- 
lar rule. 

Prayer, in order to be profitable, must be per- 
formed in a right state of mind. Dull and life- 
less petitions will not do us much good. We 
may draw nigh to God with our lips, while our 
hearts are far from him, without receiving any 
benefit. When you retire to pray, you should 
dismiss every other concern, and, with a mind 

free from all distracting thoughts and cares, jon 
11 



1 '22 THE LIVIXG WAY. 

should engage, solemnly and fervently, in this 
blessed duty. Christ is the great object on which 
the eye of the soul should gaze, when engaged in 
the exercises of the closet. You should think of 
his character as a Saviour and intercessor. You 
should dwell upon his redeeming acts, his conde- 
scension to earth, his sufferings and death, resur- 
rection and ascension. You should look to Cal- 
vary, behold its mangled victim there, and see 
the blood issuing from his wounded side for the 
remission of your sins. Such reflections are cal- 
culated to strengthen faith, and to inspire feelings 
of love, gratitude, and devotion. They are, more- 
over, in accordance with Scripture, which requires 
us to pray in the name of Jesus. In all your 
approaches to God, if you would have your 
prayers heard, you must ask, trusting for the ac- 
ceptance of your petitions in the atoning merit of 
Christ. It will, doubtless, be the case, that some- 
times you w T ill feel a reluctance of spirit to retire 
to the closet. You must not, on any account, 
yield to such feelings. That is the very time 
when you ought, by all means, to go — the time 
when you have special need of the quickening 



RELIGIOUS CULTURE. 123 

and strengthening influences of the Holy Spirit. 
At such times you must deny yourself and take 
up your cross ; for, if you give way to your feel- 
ings, you will get further away from God, and it 
will be a mercy if you do not soon neglect to 
pray altogether. These dispositions to omit 
prayer indicate that your devotional feelings are 
declining, and you ought at once to seek to drive 
away the coldness which has begun to chill your 
spiritual affections, by engaging fervently in the 
duty which it prompts you to neglect. When the 
duty of retirement is thus observed, and when 
your petitions are thus offered, it can hardly be 
otherwise than that you should receive the bless- 
ings promised to prayer — -" Thy father which 
seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.'' 

How highly should Christians prize the privi- 
lege of the closet. It is adapted to meet some 
of the greatest wants which the follower of Christ 
knows. " The heart has its seasons of loneliness 
and grief. There are times when it feels forsaken 
of all earthly props and comforts, when the world 
seems to wear only a dark aspect, and portentous 
frow r ns everywhere meet the spirit's gaze. How 



124 THE LIVING WAY. 

precious, then, is the privilege of retiring alone 
with God. There, in delightful seclusion, unno- 
ticed by men, the heart can disclose its secret sor- 
rows and pour forth all its griefs. There the 
Christian ean cast himself at the feet of his Great 
High Priest, assured that he is touched with the 
feeling of his infirmities. There he can confess 
his sins, make known his trials, implore mercy 
and grace, and offer praises, without any embar- 
rassment from the presence of others. And there 
God frequently manifests himself to his waiting 
children. How many seasons of holy joy and 
peace do they there experience. What nearness 
to God, what strengthening of soul, what fore- 
tastes of Heaven, do they there realize ! 

One, who was no stranger to the devotions and 
enjoyments of the closet, said : " I would not be 
hired out of my closet for a thousand worlds ; I 
never enjoy such hours of pleasure and such free 
and entire communion with God as I have here, 
and I wonder that any can live prayerless, and 
deprive themselves of the greatest privileges al- 
lowed to them." Surely, none, who are truly 
spiritually-minded, can treat the privilege of secret 



RELIGIOUS CULTURE. 125 

prayer with indifference or neglect. Christian 
reader, do you manifest your love for the closet 
by being frequently found there ? Love " is in- 
genuous, it is urgent, it is contriving, and will 
get with all possible expedition to its object." 
If you really love to pray, you will often retire 
alone, at least twice or thrice daily, to pour out 
your soul unto God. 

" Prayer is the Christian's vital breath — 
The Christian's native air, 
His watchword at the gates of death — 
He enters heaven by prayer." 

In cultivating the Christian virtues, you must 
pay attention to the Word of God. The Bible 
must be your daily companion. This, to the 
Christian, is the Book of books. It is his coun- 
selor to which he must resort for instruction and 
direction as he prosecutes his journey to the hea- 
venly world. It is the chart by which he is to 
steer his passage over life's rough sea, into the 
peaceful haven of endless rest — 

fk Most wondrous book ! bright candle of the Lord! 
Star of eternity ! the only star 
By which the ark of man can navigate 
The sea of life, and gain the coast of bliss 
Securely/ 



126 THE LIVING WAY. 

Judging from the conduct of many, they do 
not very highly prize this precious book. They 
seldom read it. It does not accompany them in 
their hours of thoughtfulness, leisure, and soli- 
tude, as it should. It is not the esteemed, the 
valued friend, whose presence always occasions 
pleasure. But he who would grow in grace, and 
in the knowledge of the truth, cannot afford to 
neglect to draw instruction from this great foun- 
tain of spiritual wisdom. To such, it is as a ver- 
dant oasis in the desert of life, which is a source 
of gladness to the heart and refreshing to the 
spirit of the humble pilgrim on the way to Sion. 
Header, take this book, treasure up its precepts 
and promises in your heart. Dig down into this 
mine of truth, and gather its precious wealth, 
with which to enrich your soul. Suffer not a day 
to pass without reading a portion of God's Word. 
Kead it with prayer. Let it be your closet com- 
panion. If you study it faithfully and devoutly, 
you will learn to prize it above rubies, and your 
experience will corroborate the exclamation of 
the Psalmist, when he said — " Great peace have 
they which love thy law." A familiar acquaint- 



RELIGIOUS CULTURE. 127 

ance with the Scriptures will arm the soul with 
weapons with which to repel the assaults of its 
foes. This is the sword of the Spirit. If used 
aright, it never fails to vanquish the enemy ; but, 
to be used effectively, it must not be allowed to 
rust. It must be kept polished by continual use. 
The Bible is the only true and safe guide in all 
matters of faith and practice. How liable is 
human nature to be carried about with every wind 
of doctrine. New isms are often springing up 
and claiming notice of men, and, unless the be- 
liever has firm anchor-ground, he is likely to be 
tossed to and fro by the conflicting waves of 
human opinion ; but to this rock the soul can 
cling, and remain unmoved amid the fiercest 
tempests that can rage about it. Eesort to the 
Bible, beloved reader, and that Word, which was 
a lamp and a light to the feet and path of David, 
will discover to you what is right and what is 
wrong — what is your duty and what your privi- 
lege. The Word of God is a source of great 
consolation. Its exceeding great and precious 
promises are full of comfort to the believing heart. 
They are consoling alike in life and in death. 



128 THE LIVING WAY. 

During the first year of my religious life, a 
young lady met occasionally in the class which I 
attended. I remember to have heard her say, in 
relating her experience, that she often thought of 
those words of Scripture : " The Lord is my Shep- 
herd, I shall not want." In a few years afterward 
she died. During her last illness, a minister who 
visited her said to her, " Now that you are so ill 
and likely to die, what promise or passage of 
Scripture affords you the most comfort?" As 
though receiving an inspiration from the direction 
which that inquiry had given to her mind, her 
eyes brightened, and her countenance gave ex- 
pression to her inward joy, as she replied : u The 
Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want." "What 
happiness that one passage afforded that disciple 
of Jesus while living, and how it comforted and 
strengthened her spirit as she went down into 
the dark valley and shadow of death : and the 
Bible is full of such passages and promises. Like 
brilliant gems, they thickly stud the w T hole canopy 
of revelation; but, like precious pearls in the 
ocean's depths, they must be sought after, in or- 
der to be obtained and enjoyed. How noble and 



RELIGIOUS CULTURE. 129 

just is the sentiment, so touchingly expressed by 
one of our poets : 

" The mines of earth no treasures give 
AVhich could this volume buy ; 
In teaching me the way to live, 
It taught me how to die." 

Another means of religious cultivation is, a 
habit of meditation. The intellect must be brought 
into requisition in religion, and made contribu- 
tory to it as well as the affections. The mind is 
so constituted, that, during waking hours, it must 
be constantly employed. It must be occupied 
with good or with evil. Man has the power to 
regulate and control the workings of his mind, 
and to give direction to the current of his 
thoughts. To do this, however, requires effort. 
It is not done by giving loose reins to the imagi- 
nation, and permitting it to project fanciful 
schemes, and build castles in the air, but by 
resolutely and perseveringly applying the under- 
standing to a proper subject of contemplation. 
This power of fixing the attention upon some 
given object of thought, is, with some persons, 
comparatively easy and pleasant, because it has 
been so much practiced as to have become a 



130 THE LIVING WAY. 

habit. This should be the case with all; but 
many exercise so little control over their 
thoughts as to find it exceedingly difficult to 
confine them, with any satisfaction, to any pro- 
per subject of meditation. This should not be. 
To a Christian who would grow in grace, it must 
not be ; for, if the thoughts are not properly em- 
ployed, religion cannot flourishin the soul. " It 
becomes," says Walton, " an important inquiry, 
On what is the mind habitually engaged? On 
what matters does it dwell? What, in the ordi- 
nary current of its thoughts, is most generally 
passing through it? Not much penetration is 
requisite to perceive that it must be of the high- 
est moment to employ the mind in meditation 
upon the Word of God, and so to preoccupy it 
with those divine communications that trifles may 
not usurp the inward sanctuary of the soul, that 
all erroneous principles, especially, may be ex- 
cluded, and that the mind may become imbued, 
as it were, with the heavenly influence which per- 
vades the volume of inspiration."* 

* See Walton on " The Witness of the Spirit/' p. 152. 



RELIGIOUS CULTURE. 131 

Most persons, who are not engaged in such 
occupation as requires considerable concentration 
of mind in one direction, live without much 
thought or reflection, and this, though greatly to 
their injury, is almost totally their own fault. 
It results, chiefly, from a sort of mental indo- 
lence, which shrinks from the exertion which is 
necessary in order to a right regulation of the 
mind. The Christian should think — he should 
think habitually and carefully. He may find the 
undertaking difficult at first ; but, if he will 
steadily persevere in his efforts to fasten his at- 
tention upon suitable subjects for thought, the 
exercise will soon become pleasant and profitable. 
No Christian need be at any loss for themes upon 
which to meditate. What great topics for reflec- 
tion does revealed religion furnish ! " Select any 
one of its essential doctrines, and you have what 
might be the text of an angel's study, and that 
study protracted through eternity. What a con- 
ception is the character of God ! What a topic 
the atonement! How full of confidence and 
assurance the truth of a special providence! 
How relieving and consoling the fact of justifica- 



132 THE LIVING WAY. 

tion by faith! How sublime the resurrection! 
and how all-glorious the truth of 'immortality 
and eternal life !'" 

The following extract is from the pen of the 
Kev. "William Jay. He says: "It is desirable 
that you should employ your own powers, for 
you will be more affected and benefited by the 
efforts of your own minds than by the thoughts 
of others. The faculty will be improved and in- 
creased by exercise, and cannot be acquired 
without it, any more than a man can learn to 
swim by never entering the water. And, surely, 
you cannot be at a loss for subjects. Two sub- 
jects are always at hand — your own depravity 
and unworthiness, of which fresh proof is given 
every day and every hour, and the 'love of 
Christ, which passeth knowledge.' In his suffer- 
ings and glory the angels always find enough to 
attract and engage their profoundest thoughts ; 
and shall these be less interesting to you, to whom 
they are not only true, but important — not only 
wonderful, but infinitely necessary? They are 
all your salvation ; let them be all your desire ; 
and say with David: 'My meditation of him 



RELIGIOUS CULTURE. 133 

shall be sweet' — ' My soul shall be satisfied as 
with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall 
praise thee with joyful lips, when I remember 
thee upon my bed and meditate on thee in the 
night watches.' Whatever the subject of your 
meditation may be, content not yourself with 
considering it generally and abstractedly, but 
take some particular view of it, and bring it home 
to yourselves. Is the Lord thy portion, 0, my 
soul ? Dost thou hope in him ? Art thou an heir 
of this promise ? Dost thou stand in the way of 
this threatening? Art thou living in the per- 
formance or neglect of this duty ? Say not f and 
what shall this man do V but, ' Lord, what wilt 
thou have me to do V " 

Eeader, are you a meditative Christian? 
Do you habitually employ your mind upon sub- 
jects of profitable reflection, and thereby seek to 
make your mental faculties contribute to your 
spiritual improvement and welfare ? Your intel- 
lect must be consecrated to religion as well as 
your heart. God has a rightful claim upon both. 
Seek, therefore, to glorify him, by vigorously 

employing all your powers in his service ; then 
12 



134 THE LIVING WAY. 

shall you enjoy his approval and blessing, and 
secure to yourself the glorious reward of endless 
blessedness beyond the grave. 

An observance of the duty of self-denial is 
another important means of Christian culture. 
Self-denial is a prominent duty of the Christian 
life. The Saviour has said that, except a man 
deny himself, he cannot be his disciple. Believers 
are required to crucify the flesh, with its affections 
and lusts; and, unless this be done, spiritual 
and saving religion cannot be enjoyed in the 
heart. To deny self, in an evangelical sense, 
is to renounce the world. Christ has declared 
that his disciples are not of the world — they do 
not possess its spirit, they are not governed by its 
maxims and follies. The affections of God's 
children do not centre upon the perishing things 
of earth, but they are set upon the -unseen and 
enduring treasures of eternity. Their interests 
have been transferred from this world to a bet- 
ter, and, though they live and act, converse and 
toil here for the present, yet their chief interests 
are in heaven, and, in consquence, their hearts 
are there also. Hence they are heavenly-minded. 



RELIGIOUS CULTURE. 135 

All the vain pomp and glory of this world are 
but bubbles in their eyes. In their estimation, 
the attractions of heaven far outweigh all the 
dazzling splendors of the material universe, and 
the feeblest joys and smallest rewards of religion 
they regard as infinitely superior to the highest 
pleasures and emoluments which this world can 
bestow. Self-denial also implies the crucifixion 
of all those feelings and dispositions of our na- 
tures which, in their workings and results, are 
inimical to vital godliness. A person might in- 
dulge in many things which, at first view, might 
not appear absolutely sinful, but which would, 
nevertheless, result in great spiritual injury. It 
is of the greatest importance that the Christian 
should shun the appearance of evil. He should 
indulge in no gratification, however trifling it may 
seem, which his experience or conscience tells 
him would be likely in any degree to abate the 
ardor of his spiritual affections, or to hinder him 
in his progress heavenward. As in the race 
games of the ancients, if the racer, instead of 
putting forth his utmost exertions to win the 
prize held out before him, were to stop to amuse 



136 THE LIVING WAY. 

himself with the attractive objects that might 
present themselves along his way, he would cer- 
tainly fall behind his competitors and lose the 
prize, so the Christian, who is endeavoring to ob- 
tain eternal life, must not stop to indulge his 
senses or appetites, but must move earnestly and 
steadily forward in the race set before him, or 
else he may fail to win the prize which he pro- 
fesses to be seeking. " By the degree of his self- 
denial a believer may measure the growth of the 
spiritual life within himself; for, just in propor- 
tion as Christ reigns, self is crucified ; just so far 
as the will of Christ is the law of his acts, emo- 
tions, and volitions, so far are self-will and self- 
pleasing set aside, and he living a Christian or 
self-denying life. Every tendency, therefore, to 
self-indulgence should be carefully watched ; every 
disposition to allow one's self in little luxuries, in 
useless gratifications, in former habits of sloth, in 
ease, in conformity to the world, should be 
promptly checked. Yea, they must be, or the life 
of God will grow dim and feeble in the heart."" 
Christian reader, there are other duties which 
* Wise's " Precious Lessons from the Lips of Jesus." 



RELIGIOUS CULTURE. 137 

I might name, and which the Bible and your own 
conscience will suggest to your mind, and in the 
discharge of which you will find your spiritual 
welfare promoted. Such are watchfulness, by 
which you are to carefully guard against the 
wiles of your spiritual foes and all occasions of 
evil, and to keep your soul unspotted from the 
influences of sin by which you are surrounded ; 
attendance upon the public worship of God ; the 
preaching of the word; the prudential means of 
grace, such as family worship, the social prayer- 
meeting, the class-meeting, and all other means 
which the Church has seen proper to ordain as 
helps to its members while lighting the battles of 
their salvation. And let me entreat you, dear 
reader, not to slight any of these means of re- 
ligious improvement which the Church to which 
you belong has wisely, and from a true interest 
in your welfare, placed within your reach. You 
need to make use of every aid of which you can 
avail yourself, in cultivating your Christian char- 
acter, and in preparing your spirit for the purer 
fellowships and greater felicities of the heavenly 

state. Allow, therefore, no opportunity which is 

12* 



138 THE LIVING WAY. 

likely to contribute to your growth in religion, to 
pass unimproved. 

As I conclude this chapter, I must utter a 
word of warning against a spirit of carelessness 
in the performance of religious duties, which 
poor human nature is so prone to indulge. 
There are many influences continually at work, 
to divert the mind of the Christian from the great 
purpose of saving his soul. The world, with its 
vain and deluding attractions, the soft and lulling 
voices of sloth, and the artfulness of Satan, all 
conspire to dim his perception of those things 
which are unseen and eternal. Hence, he is 
liable to lose sight, in a great degree, of the 
realities of the future world, and to become 
chiefly occupied with the concerns of the present. 
And when this is the case, the duties of reli- 
gion generally become more or less irksome, 
and, if not entirely neglected, they are performed. 
in a dull and careless manner. The indulgence 
of such a spirit is highly detrimental to spiritual 
growth, yea, its direct tendency is, to weaken the 
spiritual life in the heart. The Christian, there- 
fore, who would advance in holiness, must abhor 



RELIGIOUS CULTCJRE. 139 

and avoid it. He must steadily watch against it. 
He must devote himself with earnestness to duty, 
and must ever heed the inspired injunction : 
" Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with 

THY MIGHT." 



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